Reliability and Validity

Question 1

What is reliability?

Answer 1

How consistent findings of a method are and whether they occur in a similar way repeatedly. If results are consistent they are considered reliable.

Question 2

How do you test reliability?

Answer 2

Test and Retest Method:
1. PPs completes study
2. At a later date the same PPs will repeat the same study
3. Reasearcher uses correlational analysis between PPs score for first test VS score for second test
4. A strong positive correlation (0.8+) indicates high reliability

Question 3

How do you improve reliability?

Answer 3

• Having a standardised procedure
• Controlling extraneous variables that may occur and influeance PPs

Question 4

What is internal validity?

Answer 4

The extent to which a method measures what it intends to

Question 5

What is external validity?

Answer 5

The extent to which findings and conclusion apply to other settings
1. Population: extent to which it applies to other groups in target population
2. Ecological: extent to which it applies to other real life environments
3. Temporal: extent to which it applies to different time periods/eras