Types of validity Flashcards
Construct validity
whether a measurement tool really represents the thing we are interested in measuring.
e.g. measuring depression based on low-mood, low energy level
2 sub-types to assess:
1. Convergent validity
2. Divergent/discrimination validity
-> important to establishing the overall validity of a method.
=> the rest can be the measuring evidence for construct validity
Content validity
whether a test is representative of all aspects of the construct.
e.g. if devise a test for algebra, should include ALL the topics in algebra and NOT include anything from geometry.
Face validity
considers how suitable the content of a test seems to be on the surface.
-> similar to content validity, but more informal and subjective
Criterion validity
evaluates how well a test can predict a concrete outcome, or how well the test correlate with other tests of similar construct.
2 sub-types of criterion validity:
1. concurrent validity
2. predictive validity
Internal validity
refers to the degree of confidence that the causal relationship being tested is trustworthy and not influenced by other factors or variables.
External validity
refers to the extent to which results from a study can be applied (generalised) to other situations, groups or events.
What is the internal-external validity trade-offs and a solution?
A solution to this trade-off is to conduct the research first in a controlled (artificial) environment to establish the existence of a causal relationship, followed by a field experiment to analyse whether the results hold in the real world.
What are the threats to internal validity?
History, maturation, selection bias, instrumentation, reactivity (counteract by single or double-blind)
2 types of external validity
- population validity: how well you can generalize results of sample to the target population
- ecological validity: the extent that the experimental design is similar to the real-world situations
Concurrent validity
the correlation between 2 tests that measure the same construct. (ASSESSED AT THE SAME TIME)
Usually the new test result is compared to the old one that is proven to be valid
Predictive validity
refers to the ability of a test or other measurement to predict a future outcome (ASSESSED AFTER TEST)
Convergent validity
refers to how closely a test is related to other tests that measure the same (or similar) constructs.
Divergent/discrimination validity
refers to whether the test does not correlates with others tests that measure the opposite constructs.
Why is face validity important? (even if it’s the weakest validity)
it’s a simple first step to measuring the overall validity of a test or technique.
relatively intuitive, quick, and easy way to start checking whether a new measure seems useful at first glance.
