Question

Please explain each of Four Types of Validities and give example of them:

1.Construct

2.External

3.Statistical

4.Internal

Answer 1

• Construct Validity: Construct validity is the extent to which an experiment can measure the claim or the hypothesis adequately. It looks at whether the purpose of the experiment has been met successfully. For instance: A psychiatrist testing the effect of anti-depressants on depressed patients.
• External Validity: External Validity is an extent to which the results of the study can be generalized. This can be taken care of with the help of the experimental design of the study. For example: Most psychology experiments are conducted on sophomore students. Can the be applied to all types of populations? The answer determines external validity.
• Statistical Validity: Statistical validity refers to being able to choose the right sample size and the right statistical test to analyze the results. For example: When comparing the results of the experimental and control group, there need to be the equivalence of sample size. Otherwise, there could be a chance factor involved.
• Internal Validity: Internal Validity refers to the control of extraneous variables in order to see the interaction between the dependent and the independent variable. For example: Milgram's experiment had high internal validity and thus such behavior cannot be generally.