Reliablity and Validity Flashcards
What are they? What is the difference? And how can we use them when evaluating? (14 cards)
What is reliablity?
The extent to which results are consistent.
Can the researcher repeat the study and get the SAME results?
What are the two ways of assessing reliability??
Inter-rater reliability.
Test re-test reliability.
What is inter-rater reliability?
2+ psychologists conduct the observation/study seprately and then COMPARE answers.
. Checks for agreement (similar results means more reliable).
How do we improve inter-rater reliability?
Give the observers better training (tell them what they are looking for).
Operationalisation (make sure both observers are clear on what they are measuring and are using the same behaviour grid/way to measure)
Make sure both observers have the same view of what they are observing.
What is test-retest reliability?
The extent of which a tool is consistent over a stable amount of time (gives same results on same test in different occasion).
A test is given to a person on two diff occasions- same results mean more rliability.
How do we improve test-retest reliability?
We do a pilot study and look at the test results and see what parts did not correlate well on the diff occasions and remove them.
What is validity?
All about ACCURACY!
The extent to which the tool measures what it needs to measure.
What are the three types of validity?
. Internal validity
. Extenrnal validity (includes ecological/population)
. Temporal validity
What is internal validity?
How valid our results are WITHIN the study.
The extent to which we can say the test measures what it is SUPPOSED to be measuring?
How do we improve internal validity?
Controlling extraneous variables to ensure the IV is directly affecting the DV.
What is external validity and what are the two types?
The extent to which the findings can be generalised (applied) to outside the study.
Ecological Validity
Population Validity
What is ecological validity (in terms of external validity) and how do we improve it?
How true to real life the research is (location is in a real life example) and can it be generalised to real situations.
We can use a field experiment as it is more reflective of real life.
We can use independent groups (do not know other condition so more realistic behaviours)
More realistic task validity.
What is population validity (in terms of external validity) and how do we improve it?
How true to the population the sample is and how representative it is of the target population.
Use a representative method of sampling.
Use a large sample
Make sure there is a variety of culture, gender and age in your population.
What is temporal validity and how can we improve it?
The extent to which the findings of a study are relevant in today’s society.
A study from the conformative 50’s would lack temporal validity compared today.
We can improve it by repeating the study in today’s time.
