Outline what is meant by the term ‘validity’ in psychology. What problems may psychologists have when they attempt to make their studies high in validity?

We can talk about two types of validity in psychology. The first is external validity, which means the extent to which the results and findings of the study can be generalized to real life. The second, internal validity, concerns the methods employed during the study. If a study has high internal validity, it is easily replicable, the data collected is reliable, and overall has a high degree of control by the researcher. However, these two types of validity are at a trade-off: the more we want to ensure high internal validity, controlling every confounding variable and counterbalancing our design, the lower external validity we get, the further from real life situations our results will be. 

TD
Answered by Tutor127729 D. Psychology tutor

2039 Views

See similar Psychology A Level tutors

Related Psychology A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between reliability and validity?


Explain two differences between two types of memory (4 marks)


Outline the multi-store memory model


How can classical conditioning be used to explain the formation of attachment between an infant and their caregiver?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning