1. Validity Does the research really measure what it aims to?
Does the research accurately measure the social world?

2. Construct validity
Does the research make sense? Has the researcher chosen the right things to investigate? Are they really related? This is known as face validity.
For example the famous IQ test has been criticised as not giving a true measure of intelligence. Psychologists argue that IQ tests measure puzzle solving and not human intelligence, which is far more complex and varied.

3. Construct validity
How has the researcher measured the variables? For example if I am studying happiness how am I going to measure it?!
Are you happy? Please tick
YES NO
But surely people have moods and can be between happy and sad

4. Construct validity
How has the researcher measured the variables? For example if I am studying happiness how am I going to measure it?! Would a scale be more accurate?
How happy are you? 5 being the highest. Please tick 1 2 3 4 5
But what does a “3 happy” mean?

5. Construct validity
How has the researcher measured the variables? For example if I am studying happiness how am I going to measure it?! Would words be easier to understand?
How happy are you? Please tick
Very Sad
Sad OK
Happy
Very Happy
But does everybody’s OK mean the same? How much difference is there between ‘happy’ and ‘very happy’

6. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
This test is well designed, balanced and has learnt from previous studies Using pre-existing or pre-used tests is much easier and is more likely to produce useful data. This is done often in the social sciences.
1 = strongly disagree 2 = moderately disagree 3 = slightly disagree 4 = slightly agree 5 = moderately agree 6 = strongly agree
Please read the statements carefully, because some are phrased positively and others negatively. Don’t take too long over individual questions; there are no “right” or “wrong” answers (and no trick questions). The first answer that comes into your head is probably the right one for you. If you find some of the questions difficult, please give the answer that is true for you in general or for most of the time.
The Questionnaire
1. I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am. (R) _____
2. I am intensely interested in other people. _____
3. I feel that life is very rewarding. _____
4. I have very warm feelings towards almost everyone. _____
5. I rarely wake up feeling rested. (R) _____
29 total questions producing a mean points score
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: a compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.

7. Validity
Internal validity Did anything change during my research? Where there any extraneous variables?
Eg. A survey into attitudes in the workplace taken before and after the threat or redundancies (financial crash) If the study took place over a period of time – maturation, attenuation, attrtition

8. External validity
If my study was conducted within a certain population at a certain time – with how much certainty can I say that my results are generalizable to the wider population
Eg. A study of environmental values amongst Leicester’s school children. How much would my results reflect adults in Lanarkshire?