reliability and validity

Question 1

What is another word for reliability?

Answer 1

consistency

Question 2

When can a test be considered reliable?

Answer 2

if a test is performed with the same person they should produce the same results

Question 3

What does replicable mean?

Answer 3

easy to repeat

Question 4

What is internal reliability?

Answer 4

if a test or measure is made up of different parts should consistently measure the same thing

Question 5

What are key components of internal reliability?

Answer 5

• controls
• standardisation
• same or similar results
• consistency between measures

Question 6

What is external reliability?

Answer 6

the extent to which results of a procedure can be replicated from one time to another

Question 7

What is the key component of external reliability?

Answer 7

generalisability

Question 8

What are the tests for reliability?

Answer 8

1- test re-test
2- split-half
3- inter-rater

Question 9

What is test re-test reliability?

Answer 9

when you conduct a test and then at a later date conduct again

Question 10

What is split-half reliability?

Answer 10

split test in a half and participants complete both halves (as 2 wholes)

Question 11

What is inter-rater reliability?

Answer 11

comparison of ratings between 2 or more researchers to check results are similar and agreement

Question 12

What factors reduce reliability for experiments?

Answer 12

extraneous variables - make it impossible to replicate

Question 13

What factors increase reliability for experiments?

Answer 13

control any extraneous variables to make study replicable

Question 14

What factors decrease reliability for self-reports?

Answer 14

• behaviour of the interviewer (researcher effect)
• ambiguous questions

Question 15

What are ambiguous questions?

Answer 15

a question that can be interpreted differently

Question 16

What factors can increase reliability for self-reports?

Answer 16

• train interviewers
• structured interview
• pilot studies to remove ambiguous questions

Question 17

What factors can decrease the reliability for observations?

Answer 17

• lack of control
• influence of extraneous variables
• observer bias

Question 18

What factors can increase the reliability for observations?

Answer 18

• pre-determined coding scheme
• train observers
• inter-rater reliability
• video recording (human error)

Question 19

What is another word for validity?

Answer 19

accuracy

Question 20

What is the main thing that validity looks for?

Answer 20

causality

Question 21

What is internal validity?

Answer 21

how behaviour is defined and measured within a study

Question 22

What are the types of internal validity?

Answer 22

• face validity
• construct validity
• concurrent validity
• criterion validity

Question 23

What is face validity?

Answer 23

the extent to which a study appears to measure what it intended to measure

Question 24

What is construct validity?

Answer 24

the extent to which a study actually measures the construct it was designed to measure

Question 25

What is a construct?

Answer 25

a psychological concept

Question 26

What are examples of a construct?

Answer 26

depression, extraversion, IQ, memory

Question 27

What is important about construct validity?

Answer 27

to operationalise variables

Question 28

What is construct validity most likely to be present for?

Answer 28

scientific measures

Question 29

What is concurrent validity?

Answer 29

refers to the extent to which the findings from a study agree with previously validated studies measuring the same construct

Question 30

What is criterion validity?

Answer 30

the extent to which a study can predict the performance or behaviour of a measured construct in the future, based on performance in the present

Question 31

What is external validity?

Answer 31

the extent to which the conclusions from a study can be generalised to people outside of the study

Question 32

What is the purpose of external validity?

Answer 32

to assess external factors to see if findings are representative of the population

Question 33

What are the types of external validity?

Answer 33

• population validity
• ecological validity

Question 34

What is population validity?

Answer 34

the extent to which results from the sample relate to the population

Question 35

Why is population validity important?

Answer 35

it is impossible to test everyone so the sample must be representative so results can be generalised

Question 36

What is ecological validity?

Answer 36

the extent to which results from a study are reflective of what would be found in a natural environment

Question 37

Why is ecological validity not common?

Answer 37

most studies take place in a controlled environment as it is the best way to control for extraneous variables, establish causality and obtain internal validity

Question 38

What is mundane realism?

Answer 38

the extent to which a task is representative of one in a natural environment

Question 39

What factors would decrease validity in an experiment?

Answer 39

• extraneous variables - cannot establish causality
• more chance of demand characteristics
• more likely to have order effects

Question 40

What factors would increase validity for experiments?

Answer 40

• control extraneous variables (causality)
• natural setting (reduce demand characteristics)
• counterbalancing (reduce order effects)

Question 41

What factors would decrease validity for self-reports?

Answer 41

• leading questions
• ambiguous questions
• closed questions
• social desirability bias
• demand characteristics

Question 42

What factors would increase validity for self-reports?

Answer 42

• pilot study
• open questions
• anonymous responses

Question 43

What factors would decrease validity for an observation?

Answer 43

• demand characteristics
• observer bias
• subjectivity

Question 44

What factors would increase validity for an observation?

Answer 44

• pre-determined coding scheme
• structured observation
• training - objectivity