Types of validity

Question 1

Face validity

Answer 1

-A form of external validity
- concerns the issue of whether a self report measure looks like it is measuring what the researcher intended to measure
e.g whether the questions on a stress questionnaire are obviously related to the stress

Question 2

Content validity

Answer 2

Involves looking at your method of measurement and deciding whether it measures the intended content
- can do this by asking a expert on the assessment of stress to evaluate the measurement or study being used
- expert may suggest some improvement

Question 3

Concurrent validity

Answer 3

Involves establishing external validity by comparing the an existing test with one of you are interested in that is the same topic
- participants are given both measures at the same time and then their scores are compared
- expected to get same scores

Question 4

Construct validity

Answer 4

Assesses the extent that a test measures the target construct
-e.g with stress management we would look at the definition of stress and consider if the questions were relevant

Question 5

Predictive validity

Answer 5

Concerned with whether scores on a test predict what you would expect them to predict
e.g we would expect people who score high on a stress questionnaire to have high blood pressure
- can check this out as a means of assessing the predictive validity

Question 6

Dealing with issues of validity

Answer 6

• if measures of internal validity are low then the items on the self report techniques need to be revised
• external validity can be an issue e.g if the sampling method used in a questionnaire produces an unrepresentative sample then this could be improved