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Evaluating and Validating Research

Validity: Internal validity, External validity and Specific validity issues (including researcher bias

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on Internal validity, External validity and Specific validity issues including researcher bias.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Define external validity.

Key term

Define researcher bias.

Key term

Define demand characteristics.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What does validity mean in psychological research?

    Model answer

    Validity is the extent to which a measure or a finding is genuine, in that it really measures or demonstrates what it claims to.

  2. 2

    Define internal validity.

    Model answer

    Internal validity is the extent to which the effect observed is genuinely caused by the independent variable rather than by anything else in the study.

  3. 3

    Name three threats to internal validity.

    Model answer

    Confounding variables, demand characteristics and researcher bias all threaten internal validity.

  4. 4

    Define external validity.

    Model answer

    External validity is the extent to which findings can be generalised beyond the particular study, to other settings, people and times.

  5. 5

    What is ecological validity?

    Model answer

    It is the extent to which findings from a study can be generalised to real-life settings and everyday behaviour.

  6. 6

    What is population validity?

    Model answer

    It is the extent to which findings from the sample can be generalised to the wider target population.

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