Measurement/Validity Flashcards
Is it possible for a measurement to be perfectly reliable but not valid?
Is it possible for a measurement to be perfectly valid but not reliable?
- Can get close to perfect. Need to consider the fact that data may be by chance in a score.
- The more valid we are the more confident we are.
When considering the degree to which a test (variable) measures the construct of interest, what do you need to consider?
- The operational definition!
- How you define the variables of interest affects the validity of the conclusions.
- Also need to consider the time of data and its ability to be sensitive to what you are looking for.
Operational definitions gets us closer to a ____
unit.
Can’t test a construct but we need to specifically say the way we are analyzing the data.
Examples of Operational Definitions
- “Muscle Endurance”: time (s) holding a position vs gravity
- “Standing balance”: pertibation force (N) required to engage stepping strategy
What is face validity?
- Selective judgement of the measurement; Not testing it (opinion)
- Weakest form of measurement
What is Content Validity
- Requires a description (checklist) of all the characteristics of a construct; Checklist the measurement must have
Example: units, measurements, amount of sensitivity to a population.
What is Criterion-Related?
- How well it stack up against the gold standard
- Ex: Force Plater - Ground Reaction Force; VO2max - Bruce Protocol; Body Composition - DXA
Predictive validity vs concurrent validity
Criterion-related
- Predictive validity: gold standard measured in the future; ability to predict something a test theoretically could be able to predict
- Example: Berg Balance Test: after a stroke predicts length of stay, discharge destination, etc.
- Concurrent validity: gold standard measured simultaneously; measurement and criterion measure recorded at same time
- Useful if the test measurement typically is considered to be more efficent or less costly than theh gold standard
Construct Validity
- Hypothesis testing groups with known differences
- Ex: people with advanced OA vs people without advanced OA
- Ability of a test to distinguish between groups with known differences
- Example: Males and Females known to have different 3D kinematics during weight bearing activities.
- Need to have a good operational definition or may lead to misgrouping of people
Most tests performed in PT are ____
Nominal
Ex: Normal vs Abnormal
Sensitivity
- Proportion of individuals with a particular diagnosis who are correctly identified as positive by a test.
- “True Positives”
Specificity
- Proportion of individuals without a particular diagnosis who are correctly identified as negative by the test
- “True negatives”
Specificity
- Proportion of individuals without a particular diagnosis who are correctly identified as negative by the test
- “True negatives”
Mathmatical Equations for Sensitivity and Specificity
High Specificity improves confidence in our ability to rule ____ that particular diagnosis
- IN (SpPIN)
- A positive test result for a test with high specificity rules IN that condition
- You have that specific condition