Validity Flashcards
What are the different types of validity?
Internal
External
Face
Concurrent
Ecological
Temporal
What is internal validity?
whether we are measuring what we are supposed to be measuring e.g. are effects actually due to the IV = high internal validity - or have other factors e.g. confounding variables affected it = low internal validity.
What is external validity?
can the findings be generalised to beyond the research setting e.g. to the target population (population validity), to other settings e.g. real life (ecological validity) or different eras (temporal validity)
What is face validity?
it looks like it measures what it is supposed to be measuring
What is concurrent validity?
the results from this measure match/are close to the results from another already established test
What is ecological validity?
the extent to which the findings can be generalised to other settings and situations and strengthen its validity e.g. real life (i.e. is it measuring what it’s supposed to measure in different situations)
What is temporal validity?
the extent to which the findings can be generalised to other historical times/eras (i.e. is it measuring what it is supposed to measure over time)
How do you assess face validity?
the researcher or another expert will look at the test/measure and see if it is appearing to measure what it is supposed to be measuring
How do you assess concurrent validity?
give the test to your participants and collect results. Then test them on an already established test and collect results. Correlate the scores. High concurrent validity will be shown by a correlation co-efficient of at least +0.8 (i.e. a strong positive
How do you improve the validity of experiments?
control extraneous variables to stop them becoming confounding. For example :
o Use a control group to see if changes are due to the IV
o Standardise procedures or use e.g. double blind design to reduce participant reactivity and investigator effects
How do you improve the validity of questionnaires?
put in a lie scale to see how consistent the responses are to reduce social desirability bias. Also, make it anonymous.
How do you improve the validity of observations?
Use covert observations behaviour more likely to be authentic. Make sure behavioural categories are not too broad, overlapping or ambiguous
How do you improve the validity of qualitative methods?
- Researcher may have to demonstrate interpretive validity extent to which the researcher’s interpretation matches the participants’ views. Helped by use of quotes
Use of triangulation use different sources as evidence e.g. family interviews, friends, observations etc.
