Validity

• Validity 


  When something measures what is was supposed to measure
• Face validity 


  A measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measure what it was supposed to measure on the surface
• Concurrent validity


  The extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing similar measure and does this through correlations
• Ecological Validity

  The extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other settings and situations. A form of external validity
• Temporal Validity

  The extent to which findings can be generalised to other times and eras. A form of external validity
• What are the types of validity?

  1. Face validity
  2. Concurrent Validity
  3. Internal Validity
  4. External Validity
  5. Temporal Validity
• Internal Validity 


  Whether the effects observed in an experiment are due to the manipulation of the IV and not some other factor
• What is one thing that can affect internal validity?

  Demand Characteristics
• External Validity


  Relates to more factors outside of the investigation such as generalising to other settings
• Temporal Validity explained

  • Is the issue of whether findings from a particular study hold true over time
  • High rates in Asch's experiment may have been due to the conformist era so would not hold true today
• Improving validity in experiments

  • Using a control group may allow you to see the impact of the IV on the experiment
  • Standardisation can minimise the impact of participant reactivity and investigator effects on the validity
  • Single and double blind procedures can increase validity
• Improving validity in questionnaires

  • Some questionnaires use lie scales to assess the consistency of a respondents results and to control social desirability bias
  • Validity can be enhanced by keeping questionnaires anonymous
• Population Validity


  Whether results can be generalised to other people