With this type, the same group of people is given the test twice (a few days or weeks apart) in order to spot differences in results. To confirm a test’s reliability, assessment companies determine consistency over time with test-retest reliability. To determine the reliability of their tests, assessment companies pay close attention to two aspects of reliability in particular: re-test reliability and internal consistency measures.įind out why science-based hiring assessments are more helpful at identifying candidates’ potential than resumes, referrals, and interviews here. So, if you’re focusing on the reliability of a test, the question to ask is: are the results of the test consistent? If someone takes the test today, a week from now, and a month from now, will their results be the same?

If the results are inconsistent, the test is not considered reliable. Here’s a good definition of reliability in a research context: if an assessment is reliable, the results will be very similar no matter when someone takes the test. On a parting note, a good understanding of the concepts of internal, external, and ecological validity is necessary to properly design and conduct studies and to evaluate the merits and applications of published research.Of the two terms, assessment reliability is the simpler concept to explain and understand. How much less ecological validity, then, would research in animal models of different neuropsychiatric states have for patients in clinical practice? This explains why drugs that work in animal models often fail in humans. In fact, these cognitive and psychomotor tests, especially when based on computerized tasks, have no parallel in everyday life. Thus, laboratory studies of the neuropsychological and psychomotor impairments produced by psychotropic drugs have poor ecological validity because what is studied in relaxed, rested, and healthy subjects tested in a controlled environment is very different from demands that stressed patients face in everyday life. Ecological validity was originally invoked in the context of laboratory studies that required to be generalized to real-life situations.

Psychology reliability and validity