Question 11.4
Jamison Burks
Liberty University
September 25, 2014
Question 11.4: Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Explain
a. Validity is more critical to measurement than reliability.
“Validity is the extent to which a test measures what we actually wish to measure” (Cooper and Schindler, 2014, p.257). “Reliability has to do with the accuracy and precision of a measurement procedure” (Cooper and Schindler, 2014, p. 257). Validity is more critical to measurement than reliability because without validity, reliability is meaningless. For example, a bathroom scale may give a weight each time a person weighs themselves, which proves the scale is reliable in giving feedback. If the scale displays an incorrect weight each time then it is not a valid weight and a person cannot accurately measure themselves to know if a goal is being met or not. Validity and reliability can also be thought of in terms of a person and their work. A person may show up to work on time and complete all tasks that are required everyday, which proves they are reliable, however if they tasks are not completed correctly then there is no validity to work and it must be redone. Finally, validity …show more content…
Content validity is the most difficult type of validity to determine.
Content validity refers to how well a test measures the items for a study for which it is intended. For example, a math test to test basic level knowledge for college lacks content validity if the test only covers one aspect of math such as algebra. Content validity is the most difficult type of validity to determine because it is opinionated. One person who is an expert in a field may determine that certain questions are needed to properly measure what is intended, whereas a different person who is an expert in the same field may determine different questions are needed to measure the same thing.
c. A valid measurement is reliable, but a reliable measurement may not be