A researcher develops a questionnaire to assess the personality trait of impulsivity among adults.In a journal article,she presents evidence that college students tend to get essentially the same score if they take the test twice,two months apart.However,when you look at the sample questionnaire items she included in the article,it seems to you that they relate more to whether a person is sociable,outgoing,and fun than to whether an individual is impulsive.You are specifically questioning the _____ of the researcher's questionnaire.
A) reliability
B) validity
C) norm
D) generalizability

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Validity refers to whether a test measures what it is intended to measure. In this case, the sample questionnaire items seem to be measuring something other than impulsivity. Therefore, there are issues with the validity of the questionnaire. Reliability refers to the consistency of the results, so while it is good that the scores are the same over time, it does not address whether the measure is actually measuring impulsivity. Norms refer to the typical scores of a particular population, and generalizability refers to whether the findings can be applied to a larger population, neither of which are relevant to the issue at hand.

A Researcher Develops a Questionnaire to Assess the Personality Trait