Research methodsLesson 1 of 2 in the course Validity and reliability

Validity Evidence Across Measurement, Experiments, and Generalization

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Validity asks whether a measurement, conclusion, or interpretation is well-founded and corresponds to what it claims to represent. This lesson introduces validity, distinguishes it from reliability, and explains construct, content, and face validity.

Validity is the degree to which a concept, conclusion, or measurement is well-founded and accurately represents the real world. For an assessment, validity concerns whether it measures what it is intended to measure. In psychometrics, test validity concerns how well evidence and theory support interpretations of test scores for their proposed uses.

All flashcards

Test validity
The degree to which evidence and theory support interpretations of test scores for their proposed uses.
Criterion validity
Evidence based on the relationship between test scores and a relevant measure or outcome.
Predictive validity
Criterion evidence showing how well an earlier test score predicts an outcome measured later.
Internal validity
The strength of the evidence that a proposed cause produced an observed effect within a study.
Diagnostic validity
Evidence that a diagnostic category represents a meaningful disorder, rather than an arbitrary grouping.

Quiz questions

  1. A researcher compares a new test with a relevant outcome measured later. What type of validity evidence is being assessed?Answer: Predictive validity
  2. A test and a relevant criterion measure are collected at approximately the same time. What type of criterion evidence does this provide?Answer: Concurrent validity
  3. What does statistical conclusion validity assess?Answer: Whether conclusions about variable relationships are reasonable given the data and analyses.
  4. Participants improve on a test after taking it once before an intervention. Which threat could explain some of the improvement?Answer: Testing
  5. Researchers want to apply a study's findings to a broader population. Which validity concern is most directly relevant?Answer: External validity

Based on the Wikipedia article Validity (statistics), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Research methods

All Research methods lessons
Research methodsSurvey Methodology: Sampling, Measurement, Response, and Data Quality5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Research methodsMeasurement Scales, Rounding, and Frequency Tables5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Research methodsObservational Studies: Designs, Bias, and Causal Inference5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Research methodsSystematic Reviews: Methods, Reporting, Applications, and Limitations5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Research methodsMeasurement Reliability: Classical Test Theory, Estimation, and Precision5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Research methodsEthical Review and Participant Protection in Human and Animal Research5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →