Validity

Question 1

Validity in psychological research

Answer 1

-Researchers produce findings based off of data that is collected from psychological studies
-We need to question whether the findings are truly reflective of natural behaviour

Question 2

Internal validity

Answer 2

-Internal validity is questioning if the measurement of change in the dependent variable is solely due to the manipulation of the independent variable
-If any other factors (extraneous variable) influenced the change in dependent variable (due to the lack of control) the findings lack internal validity

Question 3

-Factors that cause findings from studies to lack internal validity (social desirability bias)

Answer 3

-Social desirability bias can cause participants to alter their behaviour to try and make themselves appear in more of a “Positive light”

Question 4

Factors that cause findings from studies to lack internal validity (Demand characteristics)

Answer 4

-If participants discover/ think they have discovered the aim of the study, demand characteristics can cause them to alter their behaviour in a way that they think the researcher wants to see (will match their research hypothesis)

Question 5

Factors that cause findings from studies to lack internal validity (Investigator bias)

Answer 5

-This is when the researchers behaviour or personal characteristics can influence the behaviour or responses of participants (e.g a researcher may have more positive body language or voice tonality when a participant is acting in a way that supports their research hypothesis)

Question 6

Factors that can cause findings from studies to lack internal validity (researcher bias)

Answer 6

-A researcher can interpret participant behaviour in a way that supports their research hypothesis

Question 7

Factors that can cause the findings of studies to lack internal validity (Uncontrolled extraneous variable)

Answer 7

-A lack of control of extraneous variables (e.g not using standardised procedures or not controlling participant variables)

Question 8

External validity

Answer 8

-External validity questions whether a study’s results are generalisable to outside of the study

Question 9

Ecological validity (external validity)

Answer 9

-Ecological validity is how generalisable the findings of a particular study are to alternative settings
-For example would the results from a study on memory still be the same in a busy city street compared to a lab setting

Question 10

Mundane realism (external validity)

Answer 10

-Mundane realism is how close the tasks used in the study are to everyday real life tasks
-If a the task a participant completes is similar to a task that they perform in real life, then the response will be more natural, increasing the external validity of the findings

Question 11

Population validity (external validity)

Answer 11

-Population validity is the extent to which the sample is representative of the target population (e.g education level, ethnicity, gender)

Question 12

Temporal validity (external validity)

Answer 12

-Temporal validity refers to how generalisable findings from studies are over periods of time
-Many older studies were conducted when society, politics and technologies were very different, and if they were replicated now would produce very different findings

Question 13

Assessing validity (face validity)

Answer 13

-Face validity is whether a test appears to measure what it claims to be measuring

Question 14

-Criterion validity

Answer 14

-Criterion validity increases confidence in the validity of a test if when the data collected from the test is compared to another measurement of the same variable (using a different method) there is a strong correlation

Question 15

Concurrent validity

Answer 15

-Concurrent validity is the extent to which data collected by the newly created tests are similar to the data collected from previously established tests
-This uses a test of correlation (0.8 or stronger score indicates high concurrent validity)

Question 16

Predictive validity

Answer 16

-Predictive validity is the extent to which performances in tests are predicitve of future performances/outcomes/behaviours (e.g GCSE results are very predictive of future A level results)

Question 17

How can internal validity be improved

Answer 17

-Internal validity can be improved by having a high level of control over all variables involved
-For examples techniques such as: random allocation, standardised procedures, single blind and double blind trials,counterbalancing and peer review

Question 18

How can external validity be improved

Answer 18

-External validity can be improved by making findings generalisable to outside of the study
-This involves conducting replications of the study:
-Replication of findings in multiple settings (ecological validity)
-Replication of findings with diverse groups of people (population validity)
-Replication of findings with more real world realistic tasks (mundane realism
-Replication of historical studies (temporal validity)