Reliability

Question 1

What is reliability?

Answer 1

The extent to which a test or measurement produces consistent results

Question 2

What is inter-observer reliability?

Answer 2

Where observers consistently code behaviour in the same way

Question 3

What is inter-rater reliability?

Answer 3

One observer’s tally is compared to another’s who observed the same thing; if they are similar, reliability is high

Question 4

What two methods can be used to establish/measure reliability?

Answer 4

Test-retest and inter-rater reliability

Question 5

What is the test-retest method?

Answer 5

Measures external reliability by giving the test to the same participants on more than one occasion and correlating the results; they are reliable if the results are the same

Question 6

Name three methods that would improve reliability

Answer 6

Increasing objectivity through operationalisation, and standardising procedures

Question 7

What does increasing reliability do to validity?

Answer 7

Increases internally

Question 8

How should you test reliability in methods such as questionnaires and experiments?

Answer 8

Test-retest

Question 9

How should you test the reliability of observations?

Answer 9

Inter-rater reliability

Question 10

What are the two types of reliability? Explain them

Answer 10

External - Consistency across time (test-retest).

Internal - How reliable a measure is within itself, e.g. do all questions in a questionnaire measure the same thing. (Inter-rater reliability)

Question 11

What does reliability not take into account?

Answer 11

Natural development over time