validity

Question 1

what does validity refer to

Answer 1

whether a psychological test, observation, experiment (etc.) produces credible results

Question 2

briefly define internal validity

Answer 2

whether researcher has managed to measure what they intended to

Question 3

briefly define external validity

Answer 3

extent to which findings can be generalised beyond research setting they were found in

Question 4

describe internal validity

Answer 4

• refers to whether effects observed in experiment are due to manipulation of IV
• one major threat is participants response to demand characteristics & act in a way they believe is expected

Question 5

describe external validity

Answer 5

• ecological validity is type of external validity = generalising findings from a study to other settings (eg. ‘everyday life’)
• if task used to measure dependent variable in experiment isn’t ‘like everyday life’ (low mundane realism), this has lower ecological validity

Question 6

describe temporal validity

Answer 6

• whether findings from particular study (or concepts in particular theory) hold true over time

Question 7

ways of assessing validity

Answer 7

1. face validity
   - whether a test, scale or measure appears to measure what it’s intended to
   - determined by ‘eyeballing’ the measuring instrument or having an expert check it
2. concurrent validity
   - demonstrated when results from a particular test/scale are very close to/match those from another recognised & well-established test
   - close agreement between 2 sets of data indicates that the new test has high concurrent validity

Question 8

ways of improving validity in experiments

Answer 8

1. using a control group
   - researcher is able to assess whether changes in DV were due to effect of IV
2. standardise procedures
   - minimise impact of participant reactivity & investigator effects on validity of outcome
3. single-bind & double-blind procedures
   - minimise impact of participant reactivity & investigator effects on validity of outcome
   - reduced demand characteristics

Question 9

ways of improving validity in questionnaires

Answer 9

1. use a lie scale within the questions
   - assess consistency of respondent’s response & control for effects of social desirability bias
2. assure respondents that data submitted will remain anonymous

Question 10

ways of improving validity in observations

Answer 10

1. covert observations
   - behaviour of those observed is natural & authentic as minimal intervention by researchers (high ecological validity)
2. ensure behavioural categories aren’t too broad, overlapping or ambiguous
   - could negatively impact validity of data collected

Question 11

ways of improving validity in qualitative research

Answer 11

• qualitative methods have higher ecological validity than quantitative, less interpretative methods due to depth & detail which better reflects the participants reality

1. coherence of researcher’s narrative & inclusion of direct quotes from participants in the report
   - demonstrates interpretative validity of researcher’s conclusions = extent to which researcher’s interpretation of events matched the participants
2. triangulation
   - use of many different sources as evidence