Now that we better understand Reliability, let’s explore the topic of validity. When a survey instrument is reliable, researchers can more confidently claim that it accurately measures what it claims. So how is that different from validity?
Validity is the extent to which a measure’s scores represent the variable they are intended to measure.
A measure could be highly reliable but not valid. For example, your bathroom scale could report your weight as 150 pounds week after week. However, if your scale is broken and consistently off by 20 pounds, the weight it reports is not valid because it is not accurately measuring the variable it is supposed to (in this case, weight). A test can also be reliable, but not valid. Conversely, a test cannot be valid unless it is reliable.
There are five main ways researchers assess the validity of their research. Click on each of the buttons to learn more about each type of validity, or select “Next” to work through all five sequentially.
