PSY 130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Face Validity, Psych
Spring Semester
2018
Psych 130
Psychology
Personality Development and Effective Behavior
● Validity:
o Reliability alone doesn't decide the reliability of a test
o Data about the reliability of a test merely shows that a test reliably tests
something
o Yet it doesn't tell us what metric the test is
o That is why psychologists are now analyzing evidence regarding the validity of
the test
o Validity refers to how well a test tests what it is supposed to measure
o As with reliability, it is not a matter of whether a test has validity or not
o Perhaps the question is how well the test's validity was confirmed
o Determining validity for other kinds of tests is fairly straightforward
o For example, if a test's aim is to predict how well students will perform on an
upcoming assignment, researchers simply compare the test scores to the
assignment scores to assess what is called the test's predictive validity
o Unfortunately, validity for most of the tests used by personality researchers is not
as easy to determine
o Some psychologists tend to be interested in assessing abstract constructs like
intelligence, masculinity, or social anxiety
o Hypothetical constructs are useful inventions which researchers use to explain
concepts that do not have a physical reality
o That is, an intelligence can not be demonstrated to anyone
o We may see actions and test results indicating high intellectual skill but
intelligence remains a theoretical entity
o Then, for personality researchers, the question is how to prove that a test tests
something that is, in fact, just a useful abstract invention
o What do researchers know when a study tests self-esteem
o Those who agree with the test item "I'm not as good in athletic activities as other
those," may have low self-esteem
o Once again, they may have low physical ability or may be discouraged
o The challenge facing personality researchers is to determine the validity of the
test model
o In addition, researchers want to prove that the test accurately gages the aspect of
personality being measured
o Fortunately, there is a lot that a researcher can do to assess the validity of a test
model
o Unfortunately, determining if there is sufficient evidence to determine the validity
of a test falls down to the test user making a subjective decision
o It explains next some of the knowledge psychologists used to answer this
question
Document Summary
Validity: reliability alone doesn"t decide the reliability of a test. Data about the reliability of a test merely shows that a test reliably tests something. Yet it doesn"t tell us what metric the test is. That is why psychologists are now analyzing evidence regarding the validity of the test. Validity refers to how well a test tests what it is supposed to measure. As with reliability, it is not a matter of whether a test has validity or not. Perhaps the question is how well the test"s validity was confirmed: determining validity for other kinds of tests is fairly straightforward. For example, if a test"s aim is to predict how well students will perform on an upcoming assignment, researchers simply compare the test scores to the assignment scores to assess what is called the test"s predictive validity. Unfortunately, validity for most of the tests used by personality researchers is not as easy to determine.
