psy: 2811, research methods exam 1
Questions with complete solution
2025
construct validity - correct answer how well the variables in a study measure
what they intend to measure e.g. measuring intelligence
external validity - correct answer the extent to which the results of a study
generalize to some larger population e.g. whether the results from a sample of
children apply to all U.S schoolchildren
statistical validity - correct answer the extent to which statistical conclusions
derived from a study are accurate and reasonable. also addresses the extent
to which a study minimizes the probabilities of type 1 & 2 errors
internal validity - correct answer the validity of the target variable and not
some alternate variable; could another factor of the study explain the results?
relates to the number of confounds are in the study, e.g. living in the
residence halls causes higher social satisfaction with campus experience
(confound: year in college?)
confounds - correct answer something other than the main manipulated
variable, if there is a lot of these your study has low internal validity
type 1 errors - correct answer saying an effect exists when it does not; false
positive, worst kind of error
type 2 errors - correct answer saying no effect exists when there is one; false
negative, not as damaging
, face validity - correct answer it LOOKS like what you want to measure, e.g. IQ
tests measure intelligence
content validity - correct answer the measure contains all the parts that your
theory says it should contain, strict; it DOES measure what it is supposed to.
e.g. taking a self-exam about sleep measures your sleep, if it does actually
measure your sleep the test has this
criterion validity - correct answer your measure is correlated with a relevant
outcome; it actually predicts what it is supposed to. e.g. the ACT predicts
performance in college
convergent validity - correct answer your measure is more strongly associated
with measures of similar constructs, e.g. in a measure of self-esteem, a
researcher may want to show measures of similar constructs, such as self-
worth, confidence, social skills, and self-appraisal which are also related to
self-esteem, whereas non-overlapping factors, such as intelligence, should
not be measured
discriminant validity - correct answer ensures that in the study, the non-
overlapping factors do not overlap. e.g. self esteem and intelligence should
not relate in most research projects.
test-retest reliability - correct answer people get consistent scores every time
they take the test
interrater reliability - correct answer consistencies between raters. high when
the raters are consistent, low when not
internal reliability - correct answer people give consistent scores on every item
of a questionnaire; how similar peoples responses are, measured with
cronbach's alpha
Questions with complete solution
2025
construct validity - correct answer how well the variables in a study measure
what they intend to measure e.g. measuring intelligence
external validity - correct answer the extent to which the results of a study
generalize to some larger population e.g. whether the results from a sample of
children apply to all U.S schoolchildren
statistical validity - correct answer the extent to which statistical conclusions
derived from a study are accurate and reasonable. also addresses the extent
to which a study minimizes the probabilities of type 1 & 2 errors
internal validity - correct answer the validity of the target variable and not
some alternate variable; could another factor of the study explain the results?
relates to the number of confounds are in the study, e.g. living in the
residence halls causes higher social satisfaction with campus experience
(confound: year in college?)
confounds - correct answer something other than the main manipulated
variable, if there is a lot of these your study has low internal validity
type 1 errors - correct answer saying an effect exists when it does not; false
positive, worst kind of error
type 2 errors - correct answer saying no effect exists when there is one; false
negative, not as damaging
, face validity - correct answer it LOOKS like what you want to measure, e.g. IQ
tests measure intelligence
content validity - correct answer the measure contains all the parts that your
theory says it should contain, strict; it DOES measure what it is supposed to.
e.g. taking a self-exam about sleep measures your sleep, if it does actually
measure your sleep the test has this
criterion validity - correct answer your measure is correlated with a relevant
outcome; it actually predicts what it is supposed to. e.g. the ACT predicts
performance in college
convergent validity - correct answer your measure is more strongly associated
with measures of similar constructs, e.g. in a measure of self-esteem, a
researcher may want to show measures of similar constructs, such as self-
worth, confidence, social skills, and self-appraisal which are also related to
self-esteem, whereas non-overlapping factors, such as intelligence, should
not be measured
discriminant validity - correct answer ensures that in the study, the non-
overlapping factors do not overlap. e.g. self esteem and intelligence should
not relate in most research projects.
test-retest reliability - correct answer people get consistent scores every time
they take the test
interrater reliability - correct answer consistencies between raters. high when
the raters are consistent, low when not
internal reliability - correct answer people give consistent scores on every item
of a questionnaire; how similar peoples responses are, measured with
cronbach's alpha
