RM - Validity

Question 1

Concurrent validity

Answer 1

A means of establishing validity by comparing an existing test or questionnaire with the one you are interested in.

Question 2

Ecological validity

Answer 2

The ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting in which it is demonstrated to other settings.

Question 3

Face validity

Answer 3

The extent to which test items look like what the test claims to measure.

Question 4

Mundane realism

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Temporal validity

Answer 5

Concerning the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular time period of the study.

Question 6

Validity

Answer 6

Refers to whether an observed effect is a genuine one.

Question 7

What are examples of internal validity?

Answer 7

• Investigator effects
• Demand characteristics
• Confounding variables
• Social desirability bias
• Poorly operationalised behavioural categories

Question 8

Investigator effects

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Demand characteristics

Answer 9

Cues that inadvertently communicate the aims of the study to ppts, such as the Bobo doll in bandura’s study ‘inviting’ an aggressive response.

Question 10

Confounding variables

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Social desirability bias

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Poorly operationalised behavioural categories as an example of internal validity issues

Answer 12

Observers can’t record reality because the categories are not clear.

Question 13

What is the difference between internal and external validity?

Answer 13

Internal validity concerns what goes on within a study and external validity concerns what goes on after the study.

Question 14

What does external validity concern?

Answer 14

Generalising the findings of a study to other people (population validity), historical periods (historical or temporal validity) and settings (ecological validity).

Question 15

What are the types of external validity?

Answer 15

Population, historical/temporal, ecological.

Question 16

When determining the ecological validity of experiments, what do you need to consider?

Answer 16

• How the dependent variable was measured.

- Whether the ppts knew their behaviour was being assessed.

Question 17

What are the methods used to assess the validity of research?

Answer 17

Face validity.

Concurrent validity.

Question 18

What measurement does face validity require?

Answer 18

Intuitive measurement only.

Question 19

What does concurrent validity involve?

Answer 19

Comparing the current method with a previously validated one on the same topic.

Question 20

How is concurrent validity assessed/what are the expected results?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What should happen to improve validity if the questionnaire is judged to have poor face validity?

Answer 21

The questions should be revised so they relate more obviously to the topic.

Question 22

What should the researcher do if concurrent validity is low?

Answer 22

The researcher should remove questions which may seem irrelevant and try checking the concurrent validity again.

Question 23

What should happen in the case of internal and external validity issues?

Answer 23

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).

Question 24

What is a double-blind trial?

Answer 24

Neither the person running the study nor the ppt knows the aims of a study.