Reliability

Question 1

the key word when thinking about reliability is

Answer 1

consistency

Question 2

external reliability refers to

Answer 2

the extent to which a measure is consistent over time

Question 3

what is the test-retest method

Answer 3

giving the same test (or interview/questionnaire) to the same person on a second occasion and checking if the results are the same

Question 4

improving external reliability - standardisation

Answer 4

use standardised instructions and procedures so all participants have the same experience

Question 5

improving external reliability - control

Answer 5

all the possible extraneous variables so different extraneous variables don’t mean a lack of consistency

Question 6

improving external reliability - measurement

Answer 6

use an objective scientific standardised measuring tool so there is consistency in measurement

Question 7

how can researcher bias be linked to reliability

Answer 7

if there is researcher bias then the results wouldn’t be consistent between researchers over time

Question 8

how could we control researcher bias

Answer 8

independent researchers, double blind

Question 9

observations should be

Answer 9

consistent

Question 10

the type of reliability relevant to observations is

Answer 10

inter-rater reliability which means each observer is consistent with each other

Question 11

to check the inter-rater reliability between researchers/observers their observations should be

Answer 11

correlated

Question 12

what is the general rule of reliability

Answer 12

there should be more than 80% agreement on the observed behaviours for the data to have inter-rater reliability

Question 13

a self-report should be … with itself and over several different …

Answer 13

consistent, occasions

Question 14

the types of reliability relevant to self-reports are

Answer 14

internal reliability and external reliability

Question 15

internal reliability

Answer 15

a measure of the extent to which something is consistent within itself. e.g. all the questions on the questionnaire should be measuring the same thing

Question 16

external reliability

Answer 16

a measure of consistency over time. e.g. if the same interview/questionnaire was conducted one day then a week later, the outcome should be the same

Question 17

method for assessing (checking) internal reliability

Answer 17

split-half method: the two halves of the questionnaire can be compared. this can be done by randomly selecting half the test items and placing them on form a and placing the other half on form b. therefore, you end up with two forms of the same test

Question 18

method for assessing (checking) external reliability

Answer 18

test-retest method: involves giving the same questionnaire/interview to the same person (by the same person) on two separate occasions (with a sufficient gap for the chance to forget). if both yield the same results then it was reliable

Question 19

dealing with (improving) low internal reliability

Answer 19

remove questions that don’t appear to be getting consistent results

Question 20

dealing with (improving) low external reliability

Answer 20

1) rewrite questions so they are not ambiguous or leading
2) train interviewers so they all deliver the questions in the same way and not encouraging the respondents answer in a certain way