Validity

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it was designed to measure.

Content Validity

Refers to whether the content of a test elicits a range of responses that are representative of the entire domain or universe of skills, understandings, and other behaviors that a test is designed to measure.

Face Validity

The physical appearance of a test that reflects its particular purposes.

Criterion-Related Validity

The extent to which test scores are related to a criterion of interest.

Concurrent Validity

Determines whether test scores of people in different categories are significantly different from each other.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Is a type of test which is useful for example in identifying specific mental disorders as patients who are diagnosed with particular disorders tend to make different scores on certain groups of items (Scales) than do people in general.

Predictive Validity

Concerned with how accurately test scores predict future performance.

Factors Affecting Criterion-Related Validity

Incremental Validity, Group Differences, Test Length and Criterion Contamination

Incremental Validity

The extent to which a particular test adds to the prediction and understanding of a phenomenon.

Group Differences

The characteristics of a group of people for whom the test is validated, such as sex, age, and personality.

Test Length

The length of the test and the heterogeneity of the tested group affect the test's validity.

Criterion Contamination

The limitation of a test due to the validity of the criterion itself as a measure of the variable of interest.

Construct Validity

The extent to which an instrument measures a particular construct or concept.

Convergent Validation

High correlations between measures or methods of measuring the same construct.

Discriminant Validation

Low correlations between measures of different constructs.