Validity - 11/12/23 Flashcards
What is the definition of Validity?
Validity concerns the accuracy of something
What is internal validity?
Whether the findings are due to changes of IV and haven’t been impacted by any other factor
What is internal validity influenced by? [3]
- Confounding and extraneous variables
- Participant variables and demand characteristics
- Investigator bias
What are demand characteristics?
Any cue the researcher/ study may give to a participant that makes them feel like they can guess the aim of the investigation
How do demand characteristics impact internal validity?
It changes behaviour because of confounding behaviour, not real IV - affects results
What are confounding variables?
A variable that changes systematically with the IV. So, it’s hard for the researcher to be sure of the origin of the DV
How do confounding variables impact validity?
Makes the studies less valid because it’s not the IV that’s affecting
What is External Validity?
Relates to factors outside the investigation - is it generalisable to other settings, populations & eras.
What are three different types of External Validity?
- Ecological Validity
- Temporal Validity
- Population Validity
What is ecological validity?
The extent to which findings can be generalised to other settings and situations
Why does a laboratory experiment have a lower ecological validity?
Lab is an artifical setting and therefore it has low ecological validity, because it’s harder to generalise findings
What is mundane realism?
A task that’s used to measure the DV in an experiment that isn’t like everyday life
What study has low mundane realism? Why?
- Moscovici’s study
- Reliance on artificial tasks because tasks don’t reflect real life
What is temporal validity?
Generalisability to other historical times and eras
Which study has low temporal validity?
Milgram
How can Validity be improved for Experiments?
[3]
- 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
How can Validity be improved for Questionnaires?
- Incorporate a lie scale within questions to assess consistency of participants response to control effects of social desirability bias
How can Validity be improved for Observations? [4]
- 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
How can Validity be improved for Qualititative Methods? [3]
- High ecological validity
- Depth and detail is better able to reflect participant’s reality
- Triangulation - use of number of different sources as evidence
What is Face Validity?
When a measure is scrutinised to see whether it really appears to measure what it’s supposed to
How can something be checked using face validity? [2]
- Is the question relevant to study
- Hire experts to see if it’s good
What does Concurrent Validity mean?
Whether the tests can relate to an existing measure that we know to be valid
What is the score for a concurrent validity present?
+0.8
What does Predictive Validity mean?
How well a test can predict future events or behaviours
