Measurement, methods, statistics and history
| English | 中文 | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| reliability/rɪˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪti/ | 信度 | xìn dù |
| validity/væˈlɪdɪti/ | 效度 | xiào dù |
A decision before an answer
- A scale can repeat the same wrong weight every time. Consistency is not the same as measuring the right thing.
- Your goal: Distinguish reliability, validity and operational definitions.
Read the relationship
- Reliability concerns consistency; validity concerns evidence supporting a particular interpretation or use.
- Analyse experiments, sampling, ethics and statistical inference.
A stable wrong measurement shows:
Repeatability alone does not establish accuracy or construct fit.
Use the defining rule
- Operational definitions specify how a construct is measured. A questionnaire label does not establish construct validity.
- Recognise foundational schools and their explanatory commitments.
Random assignment primarily supports:
It balances group differences in expectation.
Check the conditions
- Random assignment improves comparisons; random sampling supports population generalisation. Ethics constrains both design and interpretation.
- Recognise foundational schools and their explanatory commitments.
A memory test yields similar scores on repeated administrations but mostly measures reading skill. It may show test–retest reliability while lacking evidence for its intended memory interpretation. Establishing validity requires more than repeated agreement.
A concrete rule for measuring a construct is an ____ definition.
It states the observable measurement procedure.
Apply the task format
- A p-value is a probability of data at least as incompatible under the null model, not the probability that the null is true. History questions distinguish explanatory schools and their methods.
- Recognise foundational schools and their explanatory commitments.
Statistical significance alone does not tell you effect size, practical value or absence of design bias.
Which answer fits this case?
Distinguish reliability, validity and operational definitions
A p-value of 0.03 means the null hypothesis has probability 0.03.
It is a conditional data probability under the null model, not a hypothesis probability.
Keep the distinctions
- reliability 信度 — Consistency of measurement.
- validity 效度 — Evidence for an intended measurement interpretation.
- Distinguish reliability, validity and operational definitions.
- Analyse experiments, sampling, ethics and statistical inference.
- Recognise foundational schools and their explanatory commitments.
Match each term with its precise meaning in this lesson.
Keep the distinctions stated in the teaching example.
Put this lesson’s reasoning or event sequence in order.
The order follows the stated process; check each stage before the next.