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External validity is the validity of applying the conclusions of a scientific study outside the context of that study. [1] In other words, it is the extent to which the results of a study can generalize or transport to other situations, people, stimuli, and times.
Ecological validity, the ability to generalize study findings to the real world, is a subcategory of external validity. [ 6 ] Another example highlighting the differences between these terms is from an experiment that studied pointing [ 7 ] —a trait originally attributed uniquely to humans—in captive chimpanzees.
The validity of the design of experimental research studies is a fundamental part of the scientific method, [2] and a concern of research ethics. Without a valid design, valid scientific conclusions cannot be drawn.
The lack of random assignment in the quasi-experimental design method may allow studies to be more feasible, but this also poses many challenges for the investigator in terms of internal validity. This deficiency in randomization makes it harder to rule out confounding variables and introduces new threats to internal validity . [ 11 ]
Validity of a scale or test is ability of the instrument to measure what it purports to measure. [3] Construct validity, Content Validity, and Criterion Validity are types of validity. Construct validity is estimated by convergent and discriminant validity and factor analysis.
Conducting field experiments allows researchers to make causal inferences from their results, and therefore increases external validity. However, confounding may decrease internal validity of a study, and ethical issues may arise in studies involving high-risk. [2]
Field experiments offer researchers a way to test theories and answer questions with higher external validity because they simulate real-world occurrences. [6] Some researchers argue that field experiments are a better guard against potential bias and biased estimators. As well, field experiments can act as benchmarks for comparing ...
Validity has two distinct fields of application in psychology. The first is test validity (or Construct validity), the degree to which a test measures what it was designed to measure. The second is experimental validity (or External validity), the degree to which a study supports the intended conclusion drawn from the results.