Research Methods I - Reliability

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to reliability in research methods.

Reliability

Consistency or precision of a measurement.

Measurement Error

Any fluctuation in scores that results from factors related to the measurement process that are irrelevant to what is being measured.

True Score

A hypothetical score that is entirely free of any error.

Obtained Score

Reflects the true score plus error (X0 = Xtrue + Xerror)

Inter-item consistency

Administer a test and then correlate scores of participants of half of the test with the other half

Split-half reliability

Assess inter-item consistency by correlating scores of halves of a test.

Cronbach's alpha

Assess inter-item/internal consistency by performing all possible split-half analyses and averaging the correlations.

Item reliability

How well an item correlates with the total score on a test. Good items correlate well.