Reliability and Validity

What is reliability?

The extent to which a test or measurements produces consistent results - if the same study or test is repeated under the same conditions, it should produce similar results.

What is validity?

The extent to which results accurately measure what they are supposed to (do what you set out to do).

What is replication?

The process of repeating a psychological study using the same methods to check whether the results are consistent and reliable.

What is Internal validity?

Whether the results of a study are due to the variables being tested, so what goes on inside a study, and not other factors (like cofounding variables or biases) - whether the research did what they intended to.

What is external validity?

Concerns things outside a study, the extent to which the results of a study can be generalised to other situations and people

What is ecological validity (external)?

Can we generalise our findings to other settings outside of the research setting? (real life settings vs. artificial lab settings)

What is population validity (external)?

Can the results be applied to other people/populations? (e.g. beyond just students)

What is temporal validity?

Can we generalise our findings over time? (are they still valid today or are they outdated?)

What is generalisability?

The extend to which the findings of a study can be applied to other settings, populations, times and measures.