reliability and validity

Question 1

Reliability

Answer 1

refers to the extent to which a measurement produces results that are consistent, dependable and stable
(stable, consistent results): If you experimented on a group of participants to measure behaviour and repeat it again with a similar group under the same conditions you should expect the results to be very similar.

Question 2

Validity

Answer 2

refers to the extent to which a measurement accurately measures what it claims to measure.

Question 3

reliability can be affected by

Answer 3

The sample size being too small
Insufficient number of testing/number of trials
Study is not being repeated in the same way in which it was first conducted.
Unreliable data or results are untrustworthy because they lead to inconsistent conclusions.

Question 4

repeatability

Answer 4

refers to the degree to which a specific research investigation obtains similar results when it is conducted again under the same conditions on all occasions.

Question 5

reproducibility

Answer 5

refers to how close the results are to each other when an investigation is replicated under changed conditions.

Question 6

validity

Answer 6

We are controlling extraneous variables so that we are sure that the IV -> DV (cause and effect)
Measurement tool is measuring what we want it to measure. (e.g.. If we are measuring ‘love’ is ‘time spent with that person’ a good measure of love?)

Question 7

internal validity

Answer 7

refers to the extent to which the results from a study are actually due to the variables being tested (and not due to EVs)

Question 8

external validity

Answer 8

refers to the extent to which results obtains for a study can be generalised to the population from which the sample is drawn or to other people in other setting or over time.

Question 9

internal validity is effected by

Answer 9

Specific use of experimental designs (e.g. matched participants)
Controlling EVs (counterbalancing, placebos, single/double blind procedures)
Ensuring the measure is designed to measure the DV accurately.

Question 10

external validity is effected by

Answer 10

Sample size (bigger = more representative of the population)
Representative sample (representing the different characteristics found in the population)
Setting/method of the experiment (real world Vs lab setting)