Validity n Internal validity: Are the methods correct and the results accurate? n External validity: are the findings generalizable beyond that particular study?

Measurement Validity n validity: the extent to which the method of measurement reflects the true meaning of a concept being investigated –example: Do tests really measure what student learning? –Example: Do college GPAs accurately predict on the job success? n content validity: a scale should measure the true meaning of the concept being studied –example: GCS (General Contentment Scale) should measure depression, not self esteem

measurement validity--continued n face validity (representational validity): whether a measuring instrument appears to be valid to the persons completing it. –example: African Americans take a history test, but all of the questions were written by Euro-Americans about European history. n concurrent validity (a.k.a convergent validity): Do the results from one measure correspond with those of related measures? –example: scores on a communication anxiety scale should coincide with scores on a communication apprehension scale

measurement validity--continued n discriminant validity: a measuring instrument should not covary with other instruments measuring different concepts n criterion validity: how well a measure predicts another established criterion –example: Do a person’s reported income predict his or her credit score? –example: “need for cognition” versus “argumentativeness” n construct validity: a measure should fit well with other measures of similar theoretical concepts. –example: scores on a “marital satisfaction” scale should be negatively related to spouse abuse.

measurement validity--continued n predictive validity: can a measure predict future behavior? –example: Does the Suicide Probability Scale accurately predict which adolescents are likely to attempt suicide?