Validity - 11/12/23

Question 1

What is the definition of Validity?

Answer 1

Validity concerns the accuracy of something

Question 2

What is internal validity?

Answer 2

Whether the findings are due to changes of IV and haven’t been impacted by any other factor

Question 3

What is internal validity influenced by? [3]

Answer 3

• Confounding and extraneous variables
• Participant variables and demand characteristics
• Investigator bias

Question 4

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 4

Any cue the researcher/ study may give to a participant that makes them feel like they can guess the aim of the investigation

Question 5

How do demand characteristics impact internal validity?

Answer 5

It changes behaviour because of confounding behaviour, not real IV - affects results

Question 6

What are confounding variables?

Answer 6

A variable that changes systematically with the IV. So, it’s hard for the researcher to be sure of the origin of the DV

Question 7

How do confounding variables impact validity?

Answer 7

Makes the studies less valid because it’s not the IV that’s affecting

Question 8

What is External Validity?

Answer 8

Relates to factors outside the investigation - is it generalisable to other settings, populations & eras.

Question 9

What are three different types of External Validity?

Answer 9

1. Ecological Validity
2. Temporal Validity
3. Population Validity

Question 10

What is ecological validity?

Answer 10

The extent to which findings can be generalised to other settings and situations

Question 11

Why does a laboratory experiment have a lower ecological validity?

Answer 11

Lab is an artifical setting and therefore it has low ecological validity, because it’s harder to generalise findings

Question 12

What is mundane realism?

Answer 12

A task that’s used to measure the DV in an experiment that isn’t like everyday life

Question 13

What study has low mundane realism? Why?

Answer 13

• Moscovici’s study
• Reliance on artificial tasks because tasks don’t reflect real life

Question 14

What is temporal validity?

Answer 14

Generalisability to other historical times and eras

Question 15

Which study has low temporal validity?

Answer 15

Milgram

Question 16

How can Validity be improved for Experiments?
[3]

Answer 16

• Use a control group - researcher is better able to assess whether changes in DV were due to IV
• Standardise procedures - minimise investigator effects
• Single blind procedure

Question 17

How can Validity be improved for Questionnaires?

Answer 17

• Incorporate a lie scale within questions to assess consistency of participants response to control effects of social desirability bias

Question 18

How can Validity be improved for Observations? [4]

Answer 18

• Research may produce findings that have high ecological validity
• Because there’s minimal intervention by researcher
• Especially case if observer remains undetected in covert observations
• Behaviour observed is more accurate

Question 19

How can Validity be improved for Qualititative Methods? [3]

Answer 19

• High ecological validity
• Depth and detail is better able to reflect participant’s reality
• Triangulation - use of number of different sources as evidence

Question 20

What is Face Validity?

Answer 20

When a measure is scrutinised to see whether it really appears to measure what it’s supposed to

Question 21

How can something be checked using face validity? [2]

Answer 21

1. Is the question relevant to study
2. Hire experts to see if it’s good

Question 22

What does Concurrent Validity mean?

Answer 22

Whether the tests can relate to an existing measure that we know to be valid

Question 23

What is the score for a concurrent validity present?

Answer 23

+0.8

Question 24

What does Predictive Validity mean?

Answer 24

How well a test can predict future events or behaviours