RM - Validity Flashcards
Concurrent validity
A means of establishing validity by comparing an existing test or questionnaire with the one you are interested in.
Ecological validity
The ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting in which it is demonstrated to other settings.
Face validity
The extent to which test items look like what the test claims to measure.
Mundane realism
Refers to how a study mirrors the real world. The research environment is realistic to the degree to which experiences encountered in the research environment will occur in the real world.
Temporal validity
Concerning the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular time period of the study.
Validity
Refers to whether an observed effect is a genuine one.
What are examples of internal validity?
- Investigator effects
- Demand characteristics
- Confounding variables
- Social desirability bias
- Poorly operationalised behavioural categories
Investigator effects
Anything that an investigator does that has an effect in a ppts performance other than what was intended. For example, encouraging ppts to try harder.
Demand characteristics
Cues that inadvertently communicate the aims of the study to ppts, such as the Bobo doll in bandura’s study ‘inviting’ an aggressive response.
Confounding variables
A variable in an experiment that varies systematically with the independent variable, and therefore conclusions cannot be drawn about what caused changes in the dependent variable.
Social desirability bias
In a questionnaire, the tendency for ppts to provide answers that do not reflect reality because people prefer to show themselves in a good light and don’t always answer questions honestly.
Poorly operationalised behavioural categories as an example of internal validity issues
Observers can’t record reality because the categories are not clear.
What is the difference between internal and external validity?
Internal validity concerns what goes on within a study and external validity concerns what goes on after the study.
What does external validity concern?
Generalising the findings of a study to other people (population validity), historical periods (historical or temporal validity) and settings (ecological validity).
What are the types of external validity?
Population, historical/temporal, ecological.
When determining the ecological validity of experiments, what do you need to consider?
- How the dependent variable was measured.
- Whether the ppts knew their behaviour was being assessed.
What are the methods used to assess the validity of research?
Face validity.
Concurrent validity.
What measurement does face validity require?
Intuitive measurement only.
What does concurrent validity involve?
Comparing the current method with a previously validated one on the same topic.
How is concurrent validity assessed/what are the expected results?
Ppts are given both measures at the same time and then their scores are compared. We would expect people to get similar scores on both measurements, thereby confirming concurrent validity of the current questionnaire/method.
What should happen to improve validity if the questionnaire is judged to have poor face validity?
The questions should be revised so they relate more obviously to the topic.
What should the researcher do if concurrent validity is low?
The researcher should remove questions which may seem irrelevant and try checking the concurrent validity again.
What should happen in the case of internal and external validity issues?
Improvements should come from better research design. For example, double-blind can be used to prevent ppts guessing research aims (neither the person running the study nor the ppt knows the aims of a study).
What is a double-blind trial?
Neither the person running the study nor the ppt knows the aims of a study.
