The relationship between internal and external validity in research can best be described as
A) If an experiment lacks external validity, it cannot have internal validity.
B) If an experiment lacks internal validity, it cannot have external validity.
C) Internal and external validity are independent of each other.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Internal and external validity are related but distinct concepts in research. Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study's results can be attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable rather than extraneous variables that may affect the dependent variable. External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other populations, situations, or contexts. However, if a study lacks internal validity and is unable to demonstrate a causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables, it is unlikely to have external validity because it cannot be confidently applied to other situations. In other words, if we cannot establish that the manipulation of the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable in the original study, we cannot assume that the same relationship will hold in different settings. Therefore, the answer is B.

The Relationship Between Internal and External Validity in Research Can