Validity

Question 1

What is validity?

Answer 1

Trying to accurately measure psychological concepts or constructs

Question 2

What are the 3 types of validity?

Answer 2

Ecological
Population
Construct

Question 3

What does ecological validity mean?

Answer 3

The extent to which the study represents a real life senario

Question 4

Why would Milgram’s study lack ecological validity

Answer 4

You don’t shock people often/you are never asked to go into a room and shock a person

Question 5

Why would Milgrams study have a high level of ecological validity?

Answer 5

People working in the nazi death camos were also required by authority figures to inflict harm upon other people

Question 6

Why would Piliavin’s study have low levels of ecological validity?

Answer 6

The study took place during day time (11-3pm), so participants may not expect to see drunk people on the train at that time

Question 7

Why would Piliavin’s study have high levels of ecological validity?

Answer 7

It’s on a train, a popular public transport that millions use everyday
Covert observation - won’t act differently
People often fall on a subway

Question 8

Why would Bandura’s study have low levels of ecological validity?

Answer 8

Children don’t typically see adults beating up a doll

Question 9

Why would Bandura’s study have high levels of ecological validity?

Answer 9

Use toys that kids would play with everyday
Adults often demonstrate playing with toys

Question 10

What is the benefit of research being ecologically valid?

Answer 10

It makes the research more accurate and useful as it has practical applications.
People act more naturally.
More likely to get funding because it’s seen as useful.

Question 11

what is population validity?

Answer 11

the extent to which the sample is generalisable

Question 12

why might milgram’s sample lack population validity?

Answer 12

• not studying women
• only studied americans in new haven
• no younger/elderly individuals

Question 13

why might milgram’s sample have high levels of population validity?

Answer 13

• different jobs
• big age gap
• apply to people similar to nazi regime

Question 14

why might piliavin’s sample lack population validity?

Answer 14

• only carried out in america
• only black/white - no other races accounted for
• no rush hour - less people

Question 15

why might piliavin’s sample have high levels of population validity?

Answer 15

• study carried out in New York, which is a very diverse city. the sample included people from different ethnic backgrounds

Question 16

why might bandura’s sample lack population validity?

Answer 16

• sample only included children of a very small age range - 3-5 years - other children of different ages may have behaved differently
• parents f children probably worked at standford university which is a good university so the sample may have been more educated + middle class than the children in other areas of the USA

Question 17

why might bandura’s sample have high levels of population validity?

Answer 17

• equal amount of boys and girls
• no bias from researcher as the children that were used were there on the day of the research

Question 18

why do researchers often carry out their studies on samples of university students?

Answer 18

• available
• willing to participate
• interested
• easy to get participants
• researchers are often professors in uni
• may get international students to help generalisability

Question 19

what is construct validity?

Answer 19

where the test has been shown to measure what is supposed to be tested

Question 20

are there any factors that could have influenced participant’s behaviour in milgram’s study?

Answer 20

• milgram didn’t do much to ensure participants were all psychologically healthy
• milgram would not have been testing obedience if a participant enjoyed hurting people and shocked the learner for pleasure

Question 21

what did milgram do to ensure that they were measuring what they wanted to?

Answer 21

• didnt tell the participants the real aim
• controlled e.g prods

Question 22

are there any factors that could have influenced participant’s behaviour in piliavin’s study?

Answer 22

• unable to move - participants were stuck in a train carriage
• didn’t know participants ages/jobs etc.
• may have realised it’s fake if people take the train everyday

Question 23

what did piliavin do to ensure that they were measuring what they wanted to?

Answer 23

• the victim always fell in the same place so there is less chance of the environment changing the participant’s helping behaviour
• passengers didn’t know they were taking part in a psychological experiment

Question 24

are there any factors that could have influenced participant’s behaviour in bandura’s study?

Answer 24

• didnt know about parents/home life
• children might’ve been tired and frustrated

Question 25

what did bandura do to ensure that they were measuring what they wanted to?

Answer 25

• didn’t tell the children the aim
• covert observation - they act how they normally would