When examining the statistical validity of a frequency claim, one should look for the

Chapter 3 OutlineThree Claims, Four Validities:Interrogation Tools for Consumers of ResearchLearning ObjectivesKnow the Three Claims;Frequency, Association and CasualAsk the right questions in order tointerrogation each of the Four Validities;ConstructValidity, Statistical Validity, external Validity and Internal ValidityKnow whichvaliditiesare most relevant for each of thethree types of claims.Psychology research articles appear in our everyday reading and grab our attention with topicssuch as ADD and ADHD. These articles are simply reporting what the research was and why it isimportant however it isn’t always correct or accurate. We must learn how to interrogate andevaluate the information behind the study.Variables-Something that varies and it must have 2 values or levels.A Constant-could possibly vary however only 1 level in a study has.Measured and Manipulated VariablesMeasured Variable-levels are observedand recorded.Ex, height, weight, IQ, Bloodpressure-measured using scales, rulers or devices.Abstract Variable-is measured by recording a statement or observation or value as itnaturally occurs.ex;stress or depression levelsManipulated Variable-These are variables that you change on purpose in yourexperiment. It is what you are testingFrom Conceptual Variable to Operational Variable Definition--Two ways variable are described by researchers.Conceptual Variable- an abstract level such as, shyness or intelligence, also called aconstruct. Also known asconceptual definitions.Operational Definitions- the specific way in which a concept of interest is measuredor manipulated as a variable in a studyOperational Variables-to turn a concept of interest into a measured or manipulatedvariable.

Introduction

- You now have the tools to differentiate among the three major claims you will encounter in research

journals and in the popular media.

- Once you identify the kind of claim a writer is making, you need to ask targeted questions as a critically

minded consumer of information. The rest of this chapter will sharpen your ability to evaluate the claims

you come across using what might be called "the four big validities": construct validity, external validity,

statistical validity, and internal validity. In general, a valid claim is reasonable, accurate, and justifiable.

- In psychological research, we do not say that a claim is simply "valid". Instead, psychologists specify

which of the validities they are applying. You will learn to pause before you declare that a study is "valid" or

"not valid". Instead, you will learn to specify which of the four big validities the study has achieved.

- Although the focus for now is on how you can evaluate other people's claims based on the four big

validities, you will also use this same framework if you plan to conduct your own research. Depending on

whether you plan to test a frequency, an association, or a causal hypothesis, you will need to plan your

research carefully, in order to emphasize the validities that are most important for your goals.

Interrogating Frequency Claims

- To evaluate how well a study supports a frequency claim, you will usually need to ask about two of the big

validities: construct validity and external validity.

Construct Validity of Frequency Claims

- To ask about the construct validity of a frequency claim, the question to consider is how well the

researchers measured their variables. Take the claim "2 million U.S. teens depressed" for example.

- There are probably dozens of ways to evaluate whether a person is depressed. You could ask trained

therapists to clinically interview teenagers and assess which of them are depressed. You could ask study

participants to complete a structured, or a self-report questionnaire.

- When you ask how well a study measured or manipulated a variable, you are interrogating the construct

validity of the operationalization. Construct validity concerns how accurately a researcher has

operationalized each variable, be it depression, happiness, debt stress, gender, BMI, or self-esteem.

External Validity of Frequency Claims

- The second important question to ask about frequency claims concerns generalizability: How did the

researchers choose the study's participants, and how well do those participants represent the population

they are supposed to represent?

- External validity how well the results of the study generalize to, or represent, people and contexts

besides those in the study itself.

- To claim that half of Americans struggle to stay happy, the researchers in this study needed to ensure

that the participants adequately represented all Americans.

Interrogating Association Claims

Construct Validity of Association Claims - Association claims differ from frequency claims in that they

measure two variables instead of just one, and they describe how these variables are related to each other.

- For the headline "Heavy Cell Phone Use Tied to Poor Sperm Quality," you should ask how well the

researchers measured cell phone use and how well they measured sperm quality. For example, cell phone

use could be measured quite accurately using phone bills; a much less accurate measure would be

obtained by asking people to remember who much they use their cell phones.

- In any study, measurement of variables is a fundamental strength or weakness - and construct validity

questions assess how well such measurement was conducted. If you gather information on construct

validity and conclude that one of the variables was measured poorly, you would not be able to trust

conclusions related to that variable.

What validity is most important for frequency claims?

What is considered accurate when interrogating frequency claims?

What is a frequency claim in research?

How do you interrogate statistical validity?