Research methods - Reliability/Validity

What is reliability?

Consistency of a measure/study - whether it produces the same results under the same conditions

What is validity?

Whether a test/study measures what it intends to measure

What is external reliability?

Extent to which a measure is consistent over time or across different researchers

What is internal reliability?

Consistency of a ,erasure within itself (e.g. all questions on a questionairre measure same thing)

What is test-retest method for assessing?

Reliability - same test to the same participants on 2 occasions to see if results are consistent

What is inter-observer reliability?

Extent to which 2 or more observers agree when rating/coding behaviour

How can internal reliability be assessed?

Split-rhalf method - compare results from 2 halves of a test to check consistency

What is internal validity?

Whether a study measures what it intended to, without being affected by extraneous variables

What is external validity?

Extent to which findings can be generalised to other settings, people and times

What is ecological validity?

How well findings generalise to real-life settings

What is temporal validity?

Whether research findings are relevant over time

What is population validity?

Whether findings can be generalised to groups beyond the sample

What is concurrent validity?

Comparing a new test with an established one to check if they produce similar results

What is face validity?

Whether a test appears to measure what it is supposed to (at first glance)

How can reliability be improved?

Standardising procedures, training observers, refining measurement tools

How can validity be improved?

Controlling extraneous variables, improving measurement tools, ensuring realistic tasks, using triangulation