PSY 230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Discriminant Validity, Convergent Validity, Inter-Rater Reliability
21 Mar 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Psychology and other behavioral sciences involve the study of behavioral validity. Behavior varies across situations, among individuals, and over time. Behavioral scientists try to understand how and why behavior varies. Research questions in all behavioral sciences are questions about behavioral validity. Research should be designed in a manner that best allows the researcher to answer questions about behavioral validity. The measurement of behavior involves the assessment of behavioral validity. We measure behavior by assigning numbers to behaviors. Variability in numbers reflects the variability in the behavior. Statistical analysis is used to describe and account for the observed variability in the behavioral data. Inferential: testing out theory and the relationship between variables. Descriptive: used to summarize and describe the behavior or participants in a study. We use the variability that we have to make predictions about the general population. A measure can be reliable but not valid. A measure can be both reliable and valid.
