validity Flashcards
define validity
the extent to which an observed effect is genuine
does it measure what it is supposed to measure?
and can it be generalised beyond the research setting?
define internal validity
how much the findings of a method are due to the manipulation of a variable rather than another measure
a major threat to this is demand characteristics
define external validity
the findings can be generalised beyond the context of the research situation
ecological validity is a form of this
give the 3 types of external validity
- ecological validity
- temporal validity
- population validity
define ecological validity
extent to which the findings from a study can be generalised to other settings
not all lab studies lack ecological validity it depends on the task
define temporal validity
extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other historical times and eras
freud’s research into psychosexual stages has low temporal validity
define population validity
the extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other cultures/people outside of the research
ainworth’s strange situation lacks population validity
what are the 2 ways of assessing validity
- face validity
- concurrent validity
define face validity
a basic form of validity in which a measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measure what it is supposed to measure
define concurrent validity
the extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing similar measure
3 ways to improve validity in expermient
- use a control group
(allows us to see whether manipulation of IV has an effect and is causing results) - standardise procedures
(removes impact of participant reactivity and investigator effects) - use a blind procedures
(double or single blind which reduces demand characteristics)
2 ways to improve validity in questionnaires
- use a lie scale
(if caught lying on questions, test score becomes invalid which controls social desirability) - promote anonymity
(participants are more likely to show the behaviour if results are anonymous)
2 ways to improve validity in observations
- covert observations
- operationalised behavioural categories
2 ways to improve validity in qualitative research
- use qualitative or quantitative
( qual - higher ecological validity quanti - less subjective) - use triangulation
( a number of sources)
define triangulation
using a number of sources