Validity Flashcards
(42 cards)
What are the three types of validity?
- Ecological Validity
- Population Validity
- Construct Validity
What is the definition of validity?
How accurate a piece of research or test is at measuring what it aims to measure (is the study measuring what it is supposed to measure?)
What is the background to validity?
- What we want to measure is the dependent variable (DV)
- If we are measuring anything apart from the DV by mistake, then the study is not valid
Why could Milgram not tell his participants that the study was about obedience in the first place?
- If participants realised the study was about obedience, they might not act naturally
- They could either act more obedient (because they think the experimenter wants that and they want to please him)
- Or they might be less obedient because they want to ‘beat’ the experimenter
- Either way, we are not measuring their obedience anymore and therefore the study is not valid
Independent variable (IV) meaning
An aspect of the experiment that is manipulated to see its effect on a particular behaviour - the behaviour that is tested
Dependent variable (DV) meaning
The measure of behaviour in an experiment. Assuming the experiment is properly controlled, it can be assumed to be affected by the IV
Extraneous variable (EV) meaning?
An undesirable variable that might affect the relationship between the IV and DV (EVs reduce validity)
Demand characteristics meaning
When the participants realise the true purpose of a study and act differently
What is the meaning of ecological validity?
Where research is true to life (does the study represent a real-life situation)
Why is ecological validity important?
We want to understand how people behave in their everyday lives. However, often psychological research takes place in lab-like settings which don’t resemble anything that would happen in “real life”
What is the meaning of population validity?
How accurately a sample represents its intended population (ability to generalise to other groups of people)
Why is population validity important?
Researchers want to understand how as many people as possible behave. However, research just uses samples of participants who may behave completely differently from other people not included in the research
What is the meaning of internal validity?
Where research does not have lots of extraneous variables and the effect of the IV on the DV is truly being measured
What is the meaning of external validity?
Where research can be generalised to other setting (e.g. population validity and ecological validity)
ECOLOGICAL VALDITY - MILGRAM
What could participants do in the study?
Administer electric shocks to another person every time they got an answer wrong on a memory test
ECOLOGICAL VALDITY - MILGRAM
Explain why the study may lack ecological validity (which parts of the research seem to be unrealistic and not true-to-life?)
Not something most people would experience everyday
ECOLOGICAL VALDITY - MILGRAM
Which elements of the study do seem true to life? What parts have high ecological validity?
People working in the Nazi death camps were also required by authority figures to inflict harm upon other people
ECOLOGICAL VALIDTY - PILIAVIN
What could participants do in the study?
Decide whether to help somebody involved in a staged/fake incident on a subway train, i.e ill victim or drunk - collapsing in front of them
ECOLOGICAL VALIDTY - PILIAVIN
Explain why the study may lack ecological validity (which parts of the research seem to be unrealistic and not true-to-life?)
The study took place during the daytime (weekdays 11am - 3pm), so participants may not expect to see people drunk on the train at that time
ECOLOGICAL VALIDTY - PILIAVIN
Which elements of the study do seem true to life? What parts have high ecological validity?
Being on a subway train is something they would normally do and they may see drunks on the train anytime of the day
ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY - BANDURA
What could participants do in the study?
Watch a role model attack a bobo-doll for 10 minutes and then be put into a room with lots of toys
ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY - BANDURA
Which elements of the study do seem true to life? What parts have high ecological validity?
Children may normally see adults being aggressive in other situations
ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY - BANDURA
Explain why the study may lack ecological validity (which parts of the research seem to be unrealistic and not true-to-life?)
Children would not normally see adults attacking toys
POPULATION VALIDITY - MILGRAM
What was the sample for the study?
40 males from the New Haven area. Ages 20 - 50
Wide range of occupations