Reliability Cognitive Psychology Reliability refers to how consistent

Reliability Cognitive Psychology Reliability refers to how consistent or dependable a test is. A reliable test carried out in the same circumstances on the same participants should always give the same results. There are different types of reliability; Reliability and Validity

Internal Reliability Different parts of the test should give consistent results. For example, if an l. Q test contains sections of supposedly equal difficulty, participants should achieve similar scores on all sections. Test-retest Reliability The test should produce the same results when the same participants repeat it. Test-retest is a way of testing external reliability. Cognitive Psychology External Reliability The test should produce consistent results regardless of when it’s used. For example, if you took the same IQ test on two different days you should achieve the same store. Inter-rater Reliability The test should give consistent results regardless of who administers it. For example, if two researchers observe behaviour and categorise aggression scores in children, they should both record the same score. Reliability and Validity

Increasing Reliability Cognitive Psychology Reliability in a study can be increased by doing the following: 1. Standardising the procedure to ensure it is controlled 2. Clearly operationalising variables 3. Conducting pilot studies 4. Controlling as many variables as possible 5. Using an artificial environment Reliability and Validity

Validity Cognitive Psychology Validity refers to how well a test measures what it claims to. For example, an IQ test with only maths questions would not be a valid measure of general intelligence. There are different types: Reliability and Validity

Face validity the extent to which the test looks, to the participants, like it will measure what it is supposed to be measuring. Ecological validity the extent to which the setting/environment of the test reflect real-life. Internal validity the extent to which the outcome of the study is the direct result of the manipulated independent variable. Predictive validity the extent to which results from a study or a test can predict future behaviour Cognitive Psychology Concurrent validity the extent to which the test produces the same results as another established measure, e. g. two different IQ tests should produce the same measure of IQ. Construct validity the extent to which the tasks involved in the study test reflect real-life. External validity the extent to which the findings apply to other people and situations Population validity the extent to which the findings can be applied to other people Reliability and Validity

Cognitive Psychology Remember: Being reliable is being consistent. Being valid is being on target. Reliability and Validity

Cognitive Psychology Reliable, but not valid Not reliable, not valid Reliable and valid Reliability and Validity