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Question

The most suitable method to verify construct validity of a psychological test is ___________

The correct answer is
Exploratory Factor Analysis

Verifying Construct Validity Using Exploratory Factor Analysis

Construct validity refers to the extent to which a test accurately measures the specific theoretical concept or 'construct' it is designed to assess.

Verifying construct validity involves examining the underlying structure and relationships of the construct being measured.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) for Construct Validity

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is highly suitable for verifying construct validity. EFA helps researchers identify the underlying factor structure of a set of observed variables (e.g., test items).

  • It examines how items group together statistically.
  • This grouping should ideally align with the theoretical dimensions of the construct being measured.
  • If the factor structure revealed by EFA matches the hypothesized structure of the construct, it provides strong evidence for the test's construct validity.

Why Other Methods Are Less Suitable

While other methods assess aspects of test quality, they are not the primary choice for *verifying construct validity* itself:

  • Calculating Cronbach alpha: Measures internal consistency (a type of reliability), not validity. It tells us if items measure the same thing reliably, but not if that 'thing' is the intended construct.
  • Multitrait Multimethod Matrix (MTMM): This is a valid and often comprehensive method for assessing construct validity. However, EFA is frequently used as a foundational step to understand the dimensionality of the construct before or alongside methods like MTMM. In the context of exploring the fundamental structure, EFA is often considered the initial step.
  • Computing Discrimination Index: This index evaluates how well individual test items differentiate between respondents with high and low scores overall. It's part of item analysis and relates more to reliability and item effectiveness than to the overall construct validity.

Therefore, EFA is a key technique for understanding and verifying the factor structure inherent in the construct, making it a most suitable method.

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Important Questions from Research Designs

  1. On the basis of the procedure of inquiry, which of the following are types of case study?

    A. Intrinsic case study

    B. Descriptive case study

    C. Evaluative case study

    D. Instrumental case study

    E. Interpretative case study

    Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

  2. Which of the following studies is used for clinical analysis?

  3. Match List - I with List - II :
    List - IList - II
    A. Study of the life style of Indian people between 1900 to 1947I. Descriptive research
    B. Testing significance of difference between job satisfaction of government and non-government employeesII. Ethnographic research
    C. Study of effectiveness of Yoga exercises on mental health of policemenIII. Historical research
    D. Study of nomadic people's perception regarding their life in real situationIV. Experimental research

    Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
  4. What would be the correct sequence while developing a robust questionnaire ? 

    A. Curricular Validity 

    B. Confirmatory Factor Analysis 

    C. Item Discrimination Index 

    D. Exploratory Factor Analysis 

    E. Norm development 

    Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

  5. What are true from the following about Factorial Design ? 

    A. There are more than one dependent variable. 

    B. There are more than one independent variable. 

    C. Dependent variable is continuous in nature. 

    D. Independent variable is continuous in nature. 

    E. Factors are extracted through factor loadings. 

    Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

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