Validity And Reliability

Values and Motives Questionnaire: The Technical Manual (n.d.). Retrieved from the Liberty COUN 521 website: Psytech International.

The Values and Motives Questionnaire, also known as the Values and Motives Inventory, is designed to examine a person’s motivation in relation to his values and activities. In order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of values, the VMQ assess three distinct areas, including: interpersonal, intrinsic, and extrinsic. Interpersonal values, according to the VMQ refer to one’s relationships with others. Intrinsic values contain one’s personal beliefs and attitudes. Finally, extrinsic values are one’s motivating factors at the workplace. Each of these three areas contain twelve topics

Validity refers to whether the research conducted is what it intended to be. Validity involves dependability, which means, a valid measure must be reliable. But, reliability doesn’t have to link to validity, a reliable measure is not required to be valid.

A scale conversion is calculated and the measurements from each thermometer are examined to see how closely correlated they are. _M___

Why is internal consistency such an easy way to assess reliability from a methodological perspective?

Now, it is time to give an overview of some of the design threats to construct validity. If the researcher did not define the construct efficiently than it can lead to the inadequate preoperational explication of constructs threat (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Next, is the mono-operation bias, which is the use of the study program only one time and one place (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Third, the mono-method bias is the use of any one measure or observation (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Finally, the confounding constructs and the levels of constructs threat (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Overall, this threat to construct validity is a labeling issue like some of the other threats to construct validity (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). However, there are more design threats than listed in this paper to construct

Tool validity is an extremely important aspect when gathering information used in research. There are many different tools that can be used depending on what is being researched. “Trustworthiness of the data can only be as good as the instruments or tests used to collect the data” (Boswell & Cannon, 2014). Many healthcare providers use research to increase their knowledge to help make decisions for changes in policy and procedures and in ways to care for patients.

In the text book, “Theories and Research of Personality” written by Daniel Cervone and Lawrence A. Pervin, the authors talk about the goals to research and they are referring to reliability, validity, and ethical behavior. With reliability, the author is referring to the “extent to which observations can be replicated and whether the measures of the research are dependable or stable” (Cervone, Pervin 43, 2013). Reliability is extremely important to have when conducting research because if the research conducted is not reliable then when trying to get research out to people, other psychologists will not believe what you are trying to get across and in the long term affecting ones career. Also Cervone and Pervin talk about validity which is,

Reliability refers to coherence, stability and dependability in test results, generally using internal consistency to express the levels of reliability in the test. The higher reliability indicates the higher level of accordance, stabilization and dependability in test results. Reliability is the precondition of validity (Guba and Lincoln, 1981). The same findings may not generate if the same research is repeated, because many influencing factors may work in the process of research. The process of establishment in reliability research includes: the research rigorously collect and explain data in consistent investigation (internal checks); the process is transparent (sample design, field work, inquiry and rational data). Patton (1987) suggests that the use of triangulation in multiple approaches can increase the reliability in results.

I like your analogy of validity and reliability. It is very critical that the reliability and validity of the data collection tools that are used in qualitative research are validated because of the outcome of the research results. If the data tools are not valid, it could have a negative impact to the outcome of patients such as a treatment or drug that is being researched. The probability of harming a patient is high if a new treatment is incorrect.

The section on different scientific approaches was useful in that it provided a framework for how the reader can apply research principles empirically. However, many of the components that are listed as being necessary for scientific research were redundant and cumbersome to process. For example, reliability and standardization appear to be very similar terms, and it would have been helpful for the authors to more thoroughly describe the distinction between the two components.

Validity and reliability are the important aspects in any research. The thorough attention to these two important aspects can make all the difference between good research and poor research (Brink, 1993). According to the same researcher, the validity and reliability of a research can assist in ensuring the findings can be accepted as credible and trustworthy by associated scientists. Le Comple’s and Goetz’s study (as cited in Brink, 2003), claimed that the term validity is the concern about the accuracy and truthfulness of scientific findings. Validity in qualitative research is about the “appropriateness” of the tools used, processes and data and basically everything that is used in the research is appropriate (Leung, 2015).

Internal consistency--The application and appropriateness of internal consistency would be viewed as reliability. Internal consistency describes the continuous results provided in any given test. It guarantees that a range of items measure the singular method giving consistent scores. The appropriateness would be to use the re-test method in which the same test is given to be able to compare whether the internal consistency has done its job (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2010). For example a test that could be given is the proficiency test which provides three different parts to the test, but if a person does not pass the test the same test is given again.

Having a credible primary source who confirmed the outcome of my research increased the reliability of my writing. As I was critical of the limited nature of the statistics retrieved from the survey, I believe this also prevented the issues it created from damaging the outcomes reliability.

Reliability is defined, within psychometric testing, as the stability of a research study or measure(s). Reliability can be examined externally, Inter-rater and Test-Retest, as well as internally; which is seen in internal consistency reliability methods.