2.4.4 Reliability and Validity

Question 1

what is another word for reliability?

Answer 1

consistency

Question 2

what does validity refer to?

Answer 2

legitimacy and accuracy of results

Question 3

a study lacking reliability will also lack….

Answer 3

validity

Question 4

what does internal reliability refer to?

Answer 4

how consistently the method measures within itself

Question 5

in controlled research what needs to be standardised?

Answer 5

instructions, procedures, apparatus

Question 6

in observations you can check for inter-rater reliability, what does this involve?

Answer 6

2 or more observers watching the same behaviour and comparing results

Question 7

in questionnaires you need to make sure questions are unambiguous what does this mean?

Answer 7

interpreted in the same way by everyone

Question 8

what are scales such as the likert scale? (strongly agree to disagree)

Answer 8

subjective, dependant upon interpretations

Question 9

(internal reliability) when would final results be distorted, give an example:

Answer 9

when methods of measurement aren’t standardised

e.g. ruler consisting of variable centimetres

Question 10

internal reliability can be checked by the split half method, what is this?

Answer 10

correlating results of half the items with the other half (odd numbers with evens on test) and gaining a high positive correlation coefficient

Question 11

what does external reliability refer to? what should methods of measurement give?

Answer 11

how consistently a method measures over time when repeated

similar scores when repeated on same participants in similar conditions

Question 12

give an example of when external reliability would be lacking:

Answer 12

if a ruler measured an object at different lengths each time it was used

Question 13

external reliability can be checked by the test re-test method, what is this?

Answer 13

correlating results of the test conducted on one occasion with results of the test conducted on later occasion and gaining a high positive correlation coefficient

Question 14

what does validity of a method of measurement refer to?

Answer 14

whether it measures what it is supposed to measure

Question 15

what does internal validity refer to?

Answer 15

whether results were really due to the variables being measured

Question 16

what does external validity refer to?

Answer 16

whether results can be generalised if conducted in different environments with different participants

Question 17

what is another term for face validity?

Answer 17

content validity

Question 18

what does face/content validity involve?

Answer 18

examining the content of the test to see if it looks like it measures what it is supposed to measure

Question 19

in checking face validity what don’t you need?

Answer 19

a professional

Question 20

in checking content validity who do you ask?

Answer 20

a professional/expert

Question 21

e.g. in checking face/content validity of a intelligence test what are you looking for?

Answer 21

seeing if it actually measures intelligence or just general knowledge

Question 22

what does concurrent validity involve?

Answer 22

comparing a new method/test with already established one claiming to measure the same variables and gaining a high positive correlation between the results of the two

Question 23

what are 2 types of internal validity?

Answer 23

face/content validity

construct validity

Question 24

what are 3 types of external validity?

Answer 24

concurrent validity
predictive validity
ecological validity

Question 25

what is construct validity?

Answer 25

whether the test or method can be used to support the underlying theory concerning the variable supposed to be measured

Question 26

why is construct validity needed?

Answer 26

to ensure you are really testing your hypothesis

Question 27

construct validity - if theory suggests offspring of intelligent parents raised in a stimulating environment should be intelligent, what should be used to confirm it?

Answer 27

an IQ test

Question 28

what does predictive validity refer to?

Answer 28

whether the test will predict future performance indicated by its results

Question 29

what does ecological validity refer to?

Answer 29

whether the method measures behaviour that’s representative of naturally occurring behaviour

Question 30

ecological validity is also the extent to which findings can be?

Answer 30

generalised

Question 31

what needs to be considered if the findings are said to be generalizable?

Answer 31

if the environment is generalizable/natural

if the participants are representative of the target population

Question 32

testing for ecological validity involves checking the task for mundane realism, what does this mean?

Answer 32

if the task would be done in the real world

Question 33

what extraneous variables can affect the internal validity of a piece of research?

Answer 33

demand characteristics
social desirability
researcher bias
individual differences (independent measures)
order effects (repeated measures)

Question 34

what are demand characteristics, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

Answer 34

people change behaviour due to being observed
then measuring fake behaviour
single blind - not telling them the aim

Question 35

what is social desirability, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

Answer 35

changing your answer to look better
then measuring fake answers
overcome by ensuring anonymity

Question 36

what is researcher bias, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

Answer 36

researcher is expectant of an outcome so they measure the outcome rather than reality
overcome by having multiple researchers or double blind

Question 37

what are individual differences, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

Answer 37

when each participant is in one condition, individual differences between groups
overcome by repeated measures or matched pairs

Question 38

what are order effects, why is it an issue for validity and how can this issue be overcome?

Answer 38

practice or fatigue effects in repeated measures

overcome by counterbalancing or matched pairs