External validity asks whether conclusions from a particular study apply beyond the exact people, conditions, and time in which it was conducted. It matters because researchers often want findings to inform decisions in broader settings.
External validity is the extent to which a study's conclusions can be generalized or transported to other situations, people, stimuli, or times. A result observed in one setting does not automatically apply everywhere; researchers need to consider which features of the original study might matter elsewhere.
All flashcards
External validity
The extent to which study conclusions apply to other people, situations, stimuli, or times.
Generalizability
Applying findings from a sample to the broader population it is intended to represent.
Transportability
Applying findings from one sample to a different target population.
Moderation
A background factor changes the size or direction of a treatment effect.
Psychological realism
The extent to which an experiment triggers processes resembling those in real life.
Quiz questions
In research on external validity, what is a treatment-by-background-factor interaction?Answer: The treatment effect changes across levels of a background factor.
What can happen in a pre-test-by-treatment interaction?Answer: Taking a pre-test makes participants more sensitive to a later treatment.
What does ecological validity primarily concern?Answer: How closely a study or procedure resembles real-world conditions.
What does a meta-analysis do?Answer: Statistically combines results from multiple studies to estimate an overall pattern.
Why does weak internal validity limit external validity?Answer: An unjustified conclusion within a study cannot be reliably extended to other contexts.
Based on the Wikipedia article External validity, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.