Internal validity
Internal Validity is a measure of the accuracy of a study or experiment's results. It refers to the extent to which a researcher can say that only the independent variable has caused the change in the dependent variable.
Pronunciation
In-ter-nal Va-lid-i-ty
Etymology
The term "Internal Validity" is derived from the Latin words "internus" meaning "within" and "validus" meaning "strong". It was first used in the field of Research Methodology in the mid-20th century.
Definition
Internal validity is the degree to which the effects observed in a study are due to the independent variable and not to confounding variables. It is a crucial measure in Quantitative Research as it ensures that the results of a study are not affected by any extraneous or confounding variables.
Factors Affecting Internal Validity
Several factors can affect the internal validity of a study, including:
- Selection Bias: This occurs when participants are not randomly assigned to groups, leading to an imbalance in baseline characteristics.
- History: Events occurring concurrently with treatment may affect the dependent variable.
- Maturation: Changes in participants over time may affect the dependent variable.
- Testing: The effects of taking a test upon the scores of a second test.
- Instrumentation: Changes in calibration of a measurement tool or changes in the observers or scorers may affect the dependent variable.
Related Terms
- External Validity: This refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.
- Construct Validity: This refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to be measuring.
- Content Validity: This refers to the extent to which a measure represents all facets of a given construct.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Internal validity
- Wikipedia's article - Internal validity
This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski