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All 11 Flashcards — Reliability
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Question
What is reliability?
Answer
The consistency of a measure: the same result under the same conditions.
Question
What is test-retest reliability?
Answer
Giving the same test to the same people twice; stable scores mean it is reliable over time.
Question
What is inter-rater reliability?
Answer
Different observers rating the same behaviour and closely agreeing.
Question
What is internal consistency?
Answer
Questionnaire items meant to measure one thing giving similar answers.
Question
Reliable but wrong: give an example.
Answer
A scale that always reads 5 kg too heavy. It is consistent, and consistently wrong.
Question
Why is reliability not enough?
Answer
A measure can be consistent and still measure the wrong thing.
Question
How do you improve inter-rater reliability?
Answer
Train the observers and use a clear, agreed coding scheme.
Question
What does test-retest need to work?
Answer
That the thing being measured has not really changed between the two tests.
Question
Reliable or correct?
Answer
Reliable means consistent. Whether the measure is accurate is a separate question.
Question
What makes a measure unreliable?
Answer
Vague categories, changing conditions, and too little to go on.
Question
What is a behavioural category?
Answer
A written definition of exactly what behaviour counts, so that every observer records the same thing.
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Full study notes for Reliability
Topic 1.4 hub
Measurement
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Psychology exam skills
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