Improving Validity

• Experiments 


  -using a control group, the researcher can better assess whether changes to the dependent variable due to the effect of the independent variable.

  -Use standardised procedures to minimise the impact of PP reactivity and investigator effects on the validity.
• Questionnaires 


  -Lie scale with questions in order to access the consistency of responses and to control the effects of social desirability bias.

  -If the data submitted was anonymous the validity is further increased.
• Interview 


  -Guarantee confidentiality so more likely to be honest.

  -Use similar interviewer (characteristics) e.g. gender, age

  -Make the interview unstructured so interviewee may feel more comfortable and less intimidated.

  -Replace closed questions with open questions and get rid of misleading and ambiguous questions.
• Observation


  -Observational research produces findings that have high ecological validity as minimal intervention from the researcher.

  -This is the case in covert observations meaning that all behaviour of those observed is likely to be natural.

  -Behavioural categories that are too broad, overlapping or ambiguous may impact the validity of data.
• -Qualitative data 


  -Qualitative data has higher ecological validity than quantitative, less interpretive.

  -depth and detail associated with case studies and interviews.