psychology reliability and validity
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In chapter nine they discuss reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the measurement consistency of a test (or of other kinds of measurement techniques). Psychological tests require reliability, but psychological tests are not perfectly reliable. One widely used test to check the reliability of a test is the test-retest reliability. The test-retest reliability test is used by comparing subjects' scores on two administrations of a test. This is just one of the several ways a test's reliability can be tested. Intelligence tests are about 90% reliable, which is exceptionally reliable compared to most other types of psychological tests. I think that why intelligence tests are so reliable is because people's intelligence levels usually do not change within a short range of time.
Validity refers to the ability of a test to measure what is designed to measure; also it refers to the accuracy or usefulness of the inferences or decisions based on a test. Validity can be tested in several different ways, and a test might be valid for one purpose but may not be valid for another...