PSYC 217 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: External Validity, Literature Review, Longitudinal Study
Document Summary
Learning objectives: discuss four challenges when generalizing research results to other populations. Identify ways to continue using your knowledge of research methods. The external validity of a study is the extent to which the results can be generalized beyond the study to other populations and settings. Can we generalize the results to other populations: when we are conducting studies, we use convenience samples people who are selected to participate because they are willing and available. Usually, this consists of university students they may be volunteers, mostly females or males, from any culture and age. The thing is, university students represent a highly restricted population typically first and second year students. They tend to be young and possess typical traits of adolescences such as a developing sense of self-identity, social and political attitudes, need for peer acceptance. They are also intelligent, have high cognitive skills, and know how to win approval from authority.
