10 Validity

CHAPTER 10: VALIDITY
It refers to the degree to which the measurement procedure measures

the variable that it claims to measure (strength, usefulness, quality,
appropriateness, etc).
 Does the measurement process accurately capture the

variable/construct that it is supposed to measure?
Basically, it is the agreement between a test score and the characteristic

it is believed to measure.
Aspects of Validity
 Face Validity – is the simplest and least scientific form of validity and
it is demonstrated when the face value or superficial appearance of a
measurement measures what it is supposed to measure.
 Do the test items appear related to the perceived purpose of the

test?
Examples of Face Validity
An IQ test containing items which measure memory,
mathematical ability, verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning
has a good face validity.
An IQ test containing items which measure depression and
anxiety has a bad face validity.
A self-esteem rating scale which has items like “I know I can do
what other people can do.” and “I usually feel that I would fail on
a task.” has a good face validity.
 Content Validity - is concerned with the extent to which the test is
representative of a defined body of content consisting of topics and
processes.
Content validation is not done by statistical analysis but by the

inspection of items. A panel of experts can review the test items and
rate them in terms of how closely they match the objective or domain
specification.
This considers the adequacy of representation of the conceptual domain
the test is designed to cover.
If the test items adequately represent the domain of possible items for
a variable, then the test has adequate content validity.
Determination of content validity is often made by expert judgment.
 Construct underrepresentation
Failure to capture important components of a construct (e.g. An
English test which only contains vocabulary items but no
grammar items will have a poor content validity.)
 Construct-irrelevant variance
Happens when scores are influenced by factors irrelevant to the
construct (e.g. test anxiety, reading speed, reading
comprehension, illness)
Quantification of Content Validity
– Lawshe (1975) proposed a structured and systematic way of
establishing the content validity of a test
– He developed the formula content validity ratio (CVR)
 Criterion Validity - involves the relationship or correlation between the

test scores and scores on some measurement representing an identical
criterion.
The correlation coefficient can be computed between the scores on the
test being validated (predictor) and the scores on the criterion.
The correlation coefficient (Pearson r) used is called validity coefficient.
Types of Criterion Validity
Predictive Validity
It is demonstrated when scores obtained from a measure accurately
predict behavior (criterion) according to a theory.
Examples:
College entrance tests can predict whether a student can meet the
demands and standards of the college/university. These tests are
good correlates of academic performance.
Job application exams can predict the job performance and
attitude of applicants.
Concurrent Validity
It is established when the scores of a measure (predictor) is correlated
with the scores of a different measure (criterion) taken at the same time.
The two measures may be measuring the same construct, but often
times they measure two different yet related constructs.
A newly created psychological test (predictor) must correlate with
existing and well-established psychological tests (criterion) measuring
a related construct.
Examples:
A test which measures learning disabilities should be significantly
and negatively correlated with a test measuring school
performance.
A test which measures anger is expected to be significantly and
positively correlated with a test measuring violent and aggressive
behavior.
An individual who got a high score on a newly constructed test
which measures depression is expected to get a high score in Beck
Depression Inventory-II.
 Construct Validity
A test has a good construct validity if there is an existing psychological
theory which can support what the test items are measuring.
Establishing construct validity involves both logical analysis and
empirical data.
Example: In measuring aggression, you have to check all past research
and theories to see how the researchers measure that
variable/construct.
Types of Construct Validity
Convergent Validity
It involves comparing two different methods to measure the same
construct and it is demonstrated by a strong relationship between the
scores obtained from the two methods.
This can be demonstrated through:
A test measuring the same things as other tests used for the same
purpose.
Demonstration of specific relationships that we can expect if the
test is really doing its job.
Examples:
Your newly created psychological test measuring life satisfaction
should be strongly and positively correlated with “Satisfaction
with Life Scale” by Ed Deiner, Ph,D.
In measuring children’s aggression, you may observe their
behavior directly and you may also ask their parents to
accomplish an aggression rating scale.
Divergent Validity or Discriminant Validity
This refers to the demonstration of the uniqueness of that test.
It is effectively demonstrated when a test has a low correlation with
measures of unrelated constructs.
It could simply mean that the measure does not represent a construct
other than the one for which it was devised.
Examples:
In measuring children aggression, you have to distinguish what
is the kids’ general activity and what is real aggression.
Your newly constructed psychological test about optimism should
have a weak correlation with a test which measures gender
identity.
A test which measures spelling ability should have a low
correlation with a test which abstract reasoning.
Relationship between Reliability and Validity

• Reliability and validity are partially related and partially independent.
• Reliability is a prerequisite for validity, meaning a measurement
cannot be valid unless it is reliable.
• It is not necessary for a measurement to be valid for it to be
considered reliable.

10 Validity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 Validity

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 Validity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CHAPTER 10: VALIDITY

It refers to the degree to which the measurement procedure measures

 Does the measurement process accurately capture the

Basically, it is the agreement between a test score and the characteristic

 Do the test items appear related to the perceived purpose of the

Content validation is not done by statistical analysis but by the

 Criterion Validity - involves the relationship or correlation between the

Relationship between Reliability and Validity

You might also like