Research Methods: Validity (Topic 3)
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Questions and Answers

What is validity defined as in research methods?

  • The accuracy of raw data collected
  • The reliability of measurement instruments
  • The final conclusions drawn from research
  • The appropriateness of inferences drawn from data (correct)

    • Which type of validity assesses whether a relationship between two variables is causal?

  • Statistical Conclusion Validity
  • Internal Validity (correct)
  • External Validity
  • Content Validity

    • What does the term 'confounding' refer to in research validity?

  • The measurement error in the dependent variable
  • A variable influencing the dependent variable that is unrelated to the independent variable
  • Variations directly due to the independent variable
  • An extraneous variable that varies systematically with the independent variable (correct)

    • Which of the following is a type of research validity?

    <p>Construct validity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary challenge in establishing internal validity?

    <p>Determining if other variables influence the dependent variable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of validity indicates how well a test measures the concept it is intended to measure?

    <p>Construct validity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does external validity refer to in research?

    <p>The generalizability of research findings to other settings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of validity deals with the proper use of statistical methods in research?

    <p>Statistical conclusion validity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the observed effects between the independent and dependent variable due to an event occurring outside the treatment of interest?

    <p>History</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a source of error related to naturally occurring changes during a study?

    <p>Maturation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What effect does an increasing number of tests on a participant generally have?

    <p>Increases scores on subsequent tests</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What issue arises when participants drop out of a study, potentially impacting validity?

    <p>Mortality/Attrition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following represents a critical factor in multi-group study designs to ensure reliable results?

    <p>Sampling or selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What statistical phenomenon refers to participants with extreme scores tending to score closer to the mean on a subsequent measure?

    <p>Regression effects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does external validity assess in research studies?

    <p>The generalizability of causal relationships</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which variable can affect participant outcomes due to the time between measurements?

    <p>Maturation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is population validity primarily concerned with?

    <p>Whether the sample represents the broader population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor can enhance external validity?

    <p>Random sampling for representativeness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does statistical conclusion validity assess?

    <p>The relationship between independent and dependent variables</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a primary threat to statistical conclusion validity?

    <p>Low statistical power</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best defines construct validity?

    <p>The theoretical relevance of the labels applied to observations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can cause a lack of construct validity?

    <p>Loose connection between theory and experiment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which effect describes the tendency of participants to change behavior when being observed?

    <p>Hawthorne Effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key consideration when evaluating external validity?

    <p>Participant demographics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Research Validity Overview

    • Validity refers to the appropriateness of inferences drawn from data, essential for evaluating tests and research.
    • Validity includes understanding data through direct observations rather than impressions or opinions, focusing on the appropriateness of the inferences based on the specific purpose.

    Types of Validity

    • Validity is categorized into two main types:
      • Test and measurement validity: includes criterion-related, content-related, and construct-related validity.
      • Research or experimental validity: encompasses internal, external, statistical conclusion, and construct validity.

    Internal Validity

    • Measures the degree to which researchers can confirm a causal relationship between independent (IV) and dependent variables (DV).
    • Ensured when the observed effects are attributable solely to the IV, free from influence by extraneous variables (EV).
    • Threats to internal validity:
      • History: External events occurring between measurements.
      • Maturation: Natural changes over time affecting results.
      • Testing: Familiarity with the testing instrument influencing responses.
      • Mortality/Attrition: Participant dropouts affect the study's integrity.
      • Selection: Sampling bias affecting group comparability.
      • Regression effects: Statistical tendency for extreme scores to shift towards the mean.

    External Validity

    • Addresses the generalizability of research findings to different settings, participants, and times.
    • Critical for understanding whether results apply broadly beyond the specific study context.
    • Threats to external validity:
      • Selection treatment interaction: Concerns over representativeness of convenience samples.
      • Setting treatment interaction: Variability in ecological validity across settings.
      • History treatment interaction: Temporal validity issues regarding the impact of time on results.
    • Improving external validity can involve random sampling.

    Statistical Conclusion Validity

    • Concerns the accuracy of conclusions derived from statistical analyses, focusing on the relationships between IV and DV.
    • Threats include:
      • Low statistical power: The likelihood of correctly identifying true relationships, which increases with larger sample sizes.
      • Violations of statistical test assumptions.
      • Reliability of measurement tools, which must be ensured to validate findings.

    Construct Validity

    • Involves the relevance of theoretical labels assigned to observations and whether the study results support the underlying theory.
    • Evaluates if alternative theories could explain the results similarly.
    • Threats include:
      • Weak theory-experiment connections.
      • Evaluation apprehension: Changes in participant behavior due to awareness of being studied (Hawthorne Effect).

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    Research Validity PDF

    Description

    This quiz covers the concept of validity in research methods, emphasizing the appropriateness of inferences drawn from data. It evaluates key criteria for testing and measuring validity and the importance of data observations over impressions. Join us to sharpen your understanding of research validity.

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