1 Lecture

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Internal validity
New Book- 53 to 57 pages (Shadish, Cook, Campbell2002)
Old Book- 5,6 (Campbell, Stanley-1963)

Definitions:

What is a construct in psychology?

In a scientific theory, particularly withinpsychology, a
hypotheticalconstructis an explanatory variable which is not
directly observable. For example, the concepts of intelligence
and motivation are used to explain phenomena inpsychology,
but neither is directly observable.
What is the meaning of construct in research?
Theconstructis a proposed attribute of a person that often
cannot be measured directly, but can be assessed using a
number of indicators or manifest variables. Constructsare also
discussed under other labels, such as theoreticalconstructsor
latent variables, which are interchangeable terms.
Source:
Wikipedia

Definitions:

Construct Validity
Construct validity examines the question: Does the measure behave like
the theory says a measure of that construct should behave?
Construct validityis "the degree to which a test measures what it
claims, or purports, to be measuring. ( 1)Brown, J. D. (1996).
Testing in language programs . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Regents. 2) Cronbach, L. J.; Meehl, P.E. (1955).
"Construct Validity in Psychological Tests" .Psychological Bulletin.52(4):
281302.doi:10.1037/h0040957.PMID13245896.)
Construct validity is the appropriateness of inferences made on the basis
of observations or measurements (often test scores), specifically whether
a test measures the intended construct. Constructs are abstractions that
are deliberately created by researchers in order to conceptualize the
latent variable, which is the cause of scores on a given measure (although
it is not directly observable).
Source:
Wikipedia

Extra reading: Construct validity in

Healthcare
http://www.oandp.org/jpo/library/2006_01S_008.asp