Validity

Learning Outcomes 1. Examine the quality of a measure by applying different types of validity. 2. Design a Likert scale to measure relationship quality. 3. Generate alternative ways to assess relationship quality.

Questions of the Day Using your smartphone or laptop, take the BuzzFeed quiz: “Create A Pizza And We'll Guess Your Relationship Status” by entering this url: http://bzfd.it/2FjWjj8 1. What is this quiz proposing to measure? 2. Do you think that this quiz is measuring what it is proposing to measure? Why or why not? 3. How else can we measure the quality of a relationship? What might we ask besides “Are you in a relationship?” This activity is borrowed from Rita Obeid, PhD.

Evaluating Measures: Validity Validity – the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure. Truth in advertising

Types of Validity Face Validity – Is the scale measuring what you want it to measure? Content validity – Does the scale reflect everything about the range of materials that should be included when assessing your variable of interest? Construct validity – Is the scale measuring the construct that you want it to measure? Is the scale related to other theoretically related constructs? Criterion validity – Is your scale associated with a particular outcome or behavior of interest? Does it predict certain outcomes? External validity – Can you generalize the findings to real world scenarios?

How can we use self-report to measure relationship quality? Self-report measures Open and Closed Questions: Questionnaires and interviews Fixed-Choice Questions Rating Scales: Likert scale What are questions you might ask to assess the quality of a relationship? Activity: Design a Likert scale to assess relationship quality.

How can we use self-report to measure relationship quality? Self-report measures – Participants read the question or prompt, and select a response by themselves without interference from a researcher. Open and Closed Questions: Questionnaires and interviews Open questions: allow participants to respond more in-depth. Provides qualitative data. Closed questions: provide limited choice in response type. Provides quantitative data. What are questions you might ask to assess the quality of a relationship? Activity: Design a Likert scale to assess relationship quality.

How can we use self-report to measure relationship quality? Fixed-Choice Questions Questions are worded so that participants can only give a fixed-choice answer (Yes or No). What are questions you might ask to assess the quality of a relationship? Activity: Design a Likert scale to assess relationship quality.

How can we use self-report to measure relationship quality? Rating Scales: Likert scale Participants read statements, and decide how strongly they agree or disagree with statements using a range of agreeableness. i.e., Strongly agree, Agree, Neither agree nor disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree What are questions you might ask to assess the quality of a relationship? Activity: Design a Likert scale to assess relationship quality.

Likert Scale Construct: What attributes are we trying to measure? Rewording questions into statements (From QOD #3) Likert Scale Range Validity

What are advantages and disadvantages of self-report measures?

What are advantages and disadvantages of self-report measures? Response sets – tendency for participants to distort their answers to questions, so that that they can be viewed more positively.

What other ways can we assess relationship quality besides asking participants?

What other ways can we assess relationship quality besides asking participants? Behavioral observational research – type of correlational research where the researcher observes behaviors that occur naturally in a certain context. Covert – participant is not aware of being observed Overt – participant is aware of being observed

What behaviors are we looking for when we measure relationship quality?

Gottman’s verbal styles of negative relationships “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o30Ps-_8is

Think-Write-Pair-Share 1. Gottman’s video, “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” describes four negative communication patterns that lead to divorce. What verbal observations might you use to identify the quality of a relationship? 2. What nonverbal cues can you use to observe the quality of a relationship? List some positive and negative nonverbal cues. 3. Are these ways of assessing romantic relationships also valid for measuring other types of relationships? What about your relationships in the workplace, in school, or with friends? Follow with reliability lesson