the extent to which a test or measure is consistent within itself
external reliability
the extent to which a test procedures provides consistent results over several occasions
operationalisation of variables
to define them in an objective, detailed and measurable way to create standardisation.
order effects
this occurs when participating in one condition may affect how a participant performs in another.
to resolve order effects
counterbalancing is used to reduce or eliminate order effects by ensuring that all possible orders are represented equally
lack of standardisation in procedures
this is an issue of internal reliability, as you aren't giving everyone an identical experience, you cannot be certain that the IV is leading to the change in the DV
to resolve a lack of standardisation
providing a set of standardised instructions, using the same environment and controlling as many aspects of the study as possible.
the more controlled a set of procedures and measures are, the easier they are to replicate, and the more likely you are to get similar results.
location of research
the location of research can be a barrier to external reliability - tests conducted in the field are subjected to a wider range of uncontrolled variables.
