
If you develop a questionnaire to diagnose depression, you need to know: does the questionnaire really measure the construct of depression? Or is it actually measuring the respondent’s mood, self-esteem, or some other construct? What is construct validity?Ĭonstruct validity is about ensuring that the method of measurement matches the construct you want to measure. But based on existing psychological research and theory, we can measure depression based on a collection of symptoms and indicators, such as low self-confidence and low energy levels. There is no objective, observable entity called “depression” that we can measure directly. If you are doing experimental research, you also need to consider internal and external validity, which deal with the experimental design and the generalizability of results. Note that this article deals with types of test validity, which determine the accuracy of the actual components of a measure. In quantitative research, you have to consider the reliability and validity of your methods and measurements. Criterion validity: Do the results accurately measure the concrete outcome they are designed to measure?.Face validity: Does the content of the test appear to be suitable to its aims?.Content validity: Is the test fully representative of what it aims to measure?.Construct validity: Does the test measure the concept that it’s intended to measure?.

If a method measures what it claims to measure, and the results closely correspond to real-world values, then it can be considered valid. Validity tells you how accurately a method measures something. Try for free The 4 Types of Validity in Research | Definitions & Examples non-probability samplingĮliminate grammar errors and improve your writing with our free AI-powered grammar checker.
