Questions and Answers
Which of the following are threats to internal validity? (Select all that apply)
What is maturation in the context of threats to internal validity?
Participants changing over time (e.g., the students become adjusted to college life).
What is history in relation to threats to internal validity?
An external factor that affects all participants.
What is regression in the context of threats to internal validity?
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What is attrition as a threat to internal validity?
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What does testing refer to in terms of internal validity threats?
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What is instrumentation concerning threats to internal validity?
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Study Notes
Threats to Internal Validity
- Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study accurately measures the causal relationship it aims to investigate.
- Six main threats to internal validity include maturation, history, regression, attrition, testing, and instrumentation.
Maturation
- Participants may change over time, which can affect study outcomes.
- Example: Students adjusting to college life may show different behaviors or performance levels.
History
- External events that coincide with the study can influence all participants.
- Example: During an experiment on test anxiety, a college's decision to grade on a pass/fail basis can impact participant anxiety levels.
Regression
- This occurs when participants exhibit extreme behavior at the start of a study that is likely to regress toward the mean over time.
- Example: In a large set of test scores, most scores will cluster around the average with fewer extreme outliers.
Attrition
- Refers to the dropout rate of participants in a study, which can skew results if certain characteristics are lost.
- Participants leaving a study may alter the sample size and the representativeness of the data.
Testing
- Behavior can change as a consequence of participants experiencing a pretest, potentially influencing results on subsequent testing.
- Familiarity with the test may lead to improved performance not attributable to the treatment.
Instrumentation
- This threat involves changes in the measurement methods used throughout the study, affecting reliability of results.
- Researchers must ensure that the tools and methods maintain consistency to avoid impacts on outcome measurement.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the six key threats to internal validity in psychological research. These flashcards cover concepts such as maturation, history, regression, attrition, testing, and instrumentation. Perfect for students and professionals looking to solidify their understanding of research methodology.
