Validity & Reliability

Question 1

How many types of validity are there? How many types of reliability are there?

Answer 1

There are six types of validity
There are three types of reliability

Question 2

What are
six types of validity?

Answer 2

1. Internal validity
2. Ecological validity
3. Population validity
4. Temporal validity
5. Concurrent validity
6. Face validity

Question 3

What is internal validity? How is internal validity improved?

Answer 3

Internal validity is how well studies measure the aims

Internal validity is improved by conducting pilot studies and having tighter controls on extraneous variables

Question 4

What is population validity? How is population validity improved?

Answer 4

Population validity is how well a study represents the wider population

Population validity is improved by using larger sample sizes and a varying social group

Question 5

What is ecological validity? How is ecological validity improved?

Answer 5

Ecological validity is how well a study represents real life

Ecological validity is improved by using tasks that represent real life and carrying out natural/field field experiments

Question 6

What is temporal validity? How is temporal validity improved?

Answer 6

Temporal validity is the extent of which a study is applicable to other historical times

Temporal validity is improved by the usage of standardised procedures and the use more than one method to back up results

Question 7

What is concurrent validity? How is concurrent validity improved?

Answer 7

Concurrent validity is the similarities between current and previous studies

Concurrent validity is improved by controlling extraneous variables and operationalising variables

Question 8

What is face validity? How is face validity improved?

Answer 8

Face validity is a measure of whether the test looks like what it is supposed to measure

Face validity is improved by having double blind procedures and having pilot studies conducted

Question 9

What are the three types of reliability?

Answer 9

1. Internal reliability
2. External reliability
3. Inter - observer reliability

Question 10

What is internal reliability? How is internal reliability improved?

Answer 10

Internal reliability is a measure of the consistency of results across items on the same test/experiment

Internal reliability is improved by using a split half method. By comparing a person’s performance on two parts of a test/experiment

Question 11

What is external reliability? How is external reliability improved? When results are the same, what does this indicate about the external reliability?

Answer 11

External reliability is a measure of consistency over several different occasions

External reliability is improved by test - retest methods (repeating tests after a reasonable period of time)

When the results are the same, there is a high external reliability

Question 12

What makes a study lack external reliability?

Answer 12

1. When there are extraneous variables affecting the dependent variable
2. When there is a test or questionnaire used in a study that lack reliability

Question 13

What does the test-retest method test?

Answer 13

It is a method of testing the external reliability of a questionnaire or test

Question 14

How would a psychologist do a test - retest method?

Answer 14

The test - retest method involves the psychologist having the same participants take the same test on one day. Then a day or week later, have the same participants do the test again and compare the results.

Question 15

What is inter - observer reliability? How is inter - observer reliability improved?

Answer 15

Inter - observer reliability is a measure of how much agreement there is between two or more observers involved in an observation study.

This is improved by two or more observers observing the same event independently and reaching an agreement of more than 80%