Validity, Reliability And Generalizability

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

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

The theory of reliability states that it is impossible to calculate the reliability of a study in an exact way. Instead, reliability is estimated and this creates an imperfection in research. There are four major types of reliability. The first is inter-rater or inter-observer reliability. This means the reliability that is used to assess the degree to which the different people who are observing or rating the items being studied give estimates that are consistent regarding the same phenomenon. A good example is the popular example of a glass half empty and one that is half full. This is to mean that people who are in essence similar in every nature may have different ideas or views of the same phenomenon. This kind of reliability is estimated by using a pilot study which is used to establish the expected reliability in the main study(Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2012).

Passive observational studies tend to be high in external validity, while quantitative studies to be high in internal validity. Internal validity is more based on laboratory experiments and external validity is needed to apply that to the real world and situations. I believe both are needed to work together to ensure the draw the best conclusion.

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

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.

| Based on explicit knowledge and this can be easy and fast to capture and analyse.Results can be generalised to larger populationsCan be repeated – therefore good test re-test reliability and validityStatistical analyses and interpretation are

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,

For any measure to be valuable in psychological research, it needs to be both valid and reliable (Goodwin, 2008: 128). Research is reliable when more researchers have found the same results, or, within for instance behavioural research, when the same behaviour occurs at several measurements (Goodwin, 2008: 124). There are different types of validity. Firstly, there is construct validity, which measures whether an operationalisation of a construct actually measures what it is supposed to measure. Secondly, criterion validity determines whether a certain phenomenon is related to another phenomenon, and can accurately determine future developments. Lastly, content validity determines whether a test measures all aspects of the construct that is being measured (Goodwin, 2008: 125-126).

Validity is the degree to which an instrument measure what it is purports to measure. Invalid instruments can lead to erroneous research conclusions, which in turn can influence educational decisions. Reliability is the internal consistency or stability of the measuring device

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.

Evaluating human services is a task that can be very complex. People can have different interpretations of the same event. Another concern is that people are not always honest. Therefore, human services will gain from effective, high quality evaluations of data collection methods. This requires that the data collection methods supply accurate and dependable information. This paper will define and describe 2 concepts of measurement known as reliability and validity,-provide examples and supporting facts as to how these concepts apply to data collection in human services, and evaluate the importance of the validity and

Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting and attempts to understand a human problem by developing a holistic narrative and reporting detailed views of informants about the culture of a problem. It forms a report with pictures and words. One of the most important distinctions that sets qualitative research apart from more traditional types of research is that qualitative research is holistic in that researchers study phenomena in their entirety rather than narrowing the focus to specific defined variables” (p. 93). Similarly, Cresswell (1984) indicated that qualitative research “is defined as an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting” (p. 2). Cresswell’s definition clearly delineates the major characteristics of qualitative research. Pg. 50 (Smith & Davis, 2010).

Maxwell (2005) also notes that qualitative research can be used to address various issues and is not restricted to one ontological stance. The method also involves developing a relationship with the people one is studying, an aspect that is important in defining the authenticity of the data and determining the course of action.

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.