Objectivity, Reliability, Validity Flashcards
What is an objective measurement?
A measurement is objective if it is impartial, unbiased and free from judgement or opinion when interpreted. For example, height is an objective measurement as it is quantitative data that is not reliant on opinion to be assessed.
What is a subjective measurement?
A measurement is objective if it is prone to personal opinion, bias and judgement affecting interpretation. For example, height in terms of tall or short is a subjective measurement because one person’s opinion of what makes a tall person will differ from someone else.
What does reliability refer to?
The consistency of findings from research. If the procedure is replicated, will the same results be found again? A study can be tested for reliability if a standardised procedure is used.
What does external reliability refer to?
Consistency of results over time, therefore if the same procedure is conducted again using a ‘test retest method’, if the same result is found, it is deemed to be reliable NOT a one off.
What does inter-rater reliability refer to?
The consistency of two or more researchers’ interpretations. For example, if one researcher rates a participants’ anxiety as 5 out of 10, and a second researcher rates it as 10 out of 10, then there is poor inter-rater reliability. Whereas is one rates 9 out of 10 and the other 10 out of 10 then there is reasonably high inter-rater reliability.
What does validity refer to?
It refers to the extent to which the researcher is measuring what they are claiming to measure.
What does ecological validity refer to?
It refers to the extent to which results reflect everyday occurrences. This can be achieved by using a natural environment and tasks in high mundane realism. It also can involve triangulation.
What does internal validity refer to?
It refers to the extent to which results are due to the manipulation of the IV. There is high internal validity if the researcher has controlled extraneous variables, and can therefore be confident in a cause and effect relationship between the IV and the DV.
What does predictive validity refer to?
It refers to the extent to which the performance in the study can predict future performance at a similar measure. For example, an IQ test with high predictive validity will be able to predict future academic success, levels of income etc.
What does population validity refer to?
Can the results be applied from sample to other people (culture, age).
What does external validity mean?
What you can do with your measurements- in other contexts (want to be able to generalise from the sample in the study to a target population.
