Validity
Internal Validity-the extent to which the research study design and the data it yields allow the researcher to draw accurate conclusions about the cause-and-effect and other relationships within the data between the variables.
2 basic questions:
1) Does the study have sufficient controls to ensure that the conclusions are warranted and supported by the data?
2) To what extent can generalizations about the world be made about the results?
3 Strategies
researchers use to enhance the internal validity of a research project
§ Controlled laboratory study
§ Double-blind experiment
§ Unobtrusive measures
External Validity: attempt to understand the greater implications of the research by making it as realistic as possible—whether it be conducting it in a real-life setting, getting a representative sample, or replicating the study to have cases to compare
3 Strategies researchers use to enhance the external validity of a research project
· Real-life setting
· A representative sample
· Replication in a different context