reliability

Question 1

what is reliability?

Answer 1

a measure of consistency

Question 2

the test re-test method

Answer 2

• the same group of people are asked to do the research measure on different occasions
• since it’s the same people must be aware of demand characteristics - don’t do them so close that they remember their responses, but not so far away that the circumstances and therefore answers may have changed
• the two scores are correlated. if the correlation is significant, the measure has good reliability

Question 3

inter-observer reliability

Answer 3

• the extent two or more observers are observing and recording behaviour consistently
• useful when there is a risk of subjectivity
• when behavioural categories are used, it ensures they are used correctly

Question 4

improving reliability in questionnaires

Answer 4

can identify which questions are impacting the reliability and adjust them accordingly. e.g. remove them or rewrite them in a way so they aren’t misinterpreted

Question 5

improving reliability in interviews

Answer 5

• ensure the same researcher conducts all interviews can reduce researcher bias - changes in the way questions are asked may lead to different responses, some may ask leading questions
• if this can’t be done, provide training to limit researcher bias
• change interviews from unstructured to structured

Question 6

improving reliability in experiments

Answer 6

• level of control over variables - e.g. lab experiments have high reliability as they’re easy to replicate using standardised procedures
• control ev’s so they don’t become confounding

Question 7

improving reliability in observations

Answer 7

• if behavioural categories are used, ensure researchers apply them accurately and aren’t subjective in their interpretations
• operationalise behavioural categories