types of validity

Question 1

construct validity =

Answer 1

mental disorders need to be operationalised. lists of symptoms and behaviour are the result of making a mental disorder measurable
has been argued that in operationalising a concept such as depression, something is lost from the understanding of the nature of the whole experience of depression which means the DSM is not a valid tool

Question 2

etiological validity =

Answer 2

if it has etiological validity a group of people who have been diagnosed with the same disorder will have the same symptoms of factors causing it
eg schizophrenics should all have an excess of dopamine in their body

Question 3

concurrent validity =

Answer 3

symptoms that form part of the disorder but are not part of the actual diagnosis should be found in those diagnosed
eg schizophrenics often have problems with personal relationships

Question 4

predictive validity =

Answer 4

if diagnosis can lead to a prediction of future behaviours caused by the disorder. if a diagnosis has predictive validity we should be able to say whether the person is likely to recover or whether the symptoms will continue, it should also be possible to predict how someone with a specific disorder will respond to specific treatments

Question 5

convergent validity =

Answer 5

when a test results converges on another test result that measures the same thing. a correlational test should be carried out. if two scales measures the same construct then a persons score on one should converge with their score on the other.
eg HOFFMANN alcohol study