PSYC 2250 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: External Validity, Literature Review, Longitudinal Study
24 Sep 2018
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External validity: the degree to which the results of an experiment may be generalized. We consider 2 ways in which research results may or may not generalize beyond a study. Research is conducted on samples rather than entire populations. If we wish to generalize results to the entire population, the best method for doing so is to select participants randomly from the general population. The people who participate in psychological research are convenience samples (selected because they are available and willing: the most available population is often university students. Weird western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. Researchers usually must ask people to volunteer for studies: volunteers differ greatly from non-volunteers: volunteers tend to be more highly educated, need of approval and more social. Some studies use either males or females because it is convenient: this means that the results may not be generalizable.
