PSYC37H3 Chapter 4: Chapter 4.docx
Document Summary
Chapter 4 topic 4a basic concepts of validity. In the previous chapter, regardless of the method used, the assessment of reliability invariably boils down to a reliability coefficient. Put simply, the validity of a test is the extent to which it measures what it claims to measure. The most fundamental and important characteristic of a test is validity reliability is important too, but only insofar as it constrains validity (to the extent that a test is unreliably, it cannot be valid). Reliability is a necessary but not a sufficient precursor of validity. Test validation is a developmental process that begins with test construction and continues indefinitely. Definition of validity: a test is valid to the extent that inferences made from it are appropriate, meaningful, and useful. Note that a test score per se is meaningless until the examiner draws inferences from it based on the test manual or other research findings.
