Reliability

Question 1

How to test reliability of experiments?

Answer 1

Test re-test

Question 2

How to conduct test re-test?

Answer 2

1) Participants given a task
2) Participants are given the same task after time delay e.g. two weeks later
3) Correlate the results from each test using stats test
4) A strong positive correlation of +0.8 shows high reliability

Question 3

How to test reliability of observations?

Answer 3

Inter-Observer reliability

Question 4

How to conduct Inter-Observer reliability?

Answer 4

1) Two observers are needed
2) Two observers would create and be trained on how to use behaviour categories
3) Two observers conduct observation separately but watch the exact same behaviour for the same amount of time but independently record behaviour
4) Tallies from two observes are compared and correlated using appropriate stats test
5) A strong positive correlation of +0.8 shows high reliability

Question 5

How do we improve reliability of our experiment? (3)

Answer 5

Operationalising means to be specific and clear when defining IV and DV in an experiment so they can be easily measured.

Variables are clear and specific so research can be repeated in the same condition to check for consistent

Question 6

How do we improve reliability of our observation? (3)

Answer 6

Operationalising means to be specific and clear when defining IV and DV in an experiment so they can be easily measured.

If variables are operationalised the other researches can conduct the same observation in the same way to check for consistent results and they know exactly what they’re looking for.

Question 7

What is reliability?

Answer 7

Ability to repeat a study in similar conditions to gain consistent findings.

Question 8

How to assess reliability of self reports?

Answer 8

Test retest

Question 9

How to conduct test retest of a self report?

Answer 9

1) Participants given the self report to complete
2) They are then asked the same questions after a time delay e.g. 2 weeks
3) Compare the data on a scattergraph to describe the correlation. Then correlate the results from each self report using a stats test
4) A strong positive correlation of +0.8 shows high reliability

Question 10

How do we improve reliability of our self report?

Answer 10

Operationalising means to be specific and clear when defining questions in the self report so that they are easier to measure.

If questions are vague then it wouldn’t be possible to repeat the self report for consistent results. Operationalising increases reliability as if the questions are operationalised other researchers can repeat the same way for consistent results