The Concept of Construct Validity

Topic

The Concept of Construct Validity

Instructions

In a two-page opinion paper, use information presented in the text and weekly resources to address the following statements regarding construct validity. Why is construct validity the most important thing a test can possess? Could a test be useful if it had reliability, and either content/ criterion validity, but lacked construct validity? How does the nomological network drive test development, and how does test development in turn drive research into the nomological network?

Answer preview

Traditionally, the concept of construct validity was used to refer to the degree to which a test measured what it set out to measure in the first place (Feigl & Scriven, 2011). Construct validity is the most important thing a test can possess for several reasons. The APA defined construct validity as the extent to which the test measures the theoretical construct. Previously, theorists challenged the content validity and criterion validity, and stated that construct validity was the overarching form to these two because the establishment of construct validity involved the collection of test scores and ensuring that they relate to observable behaviors in the ways that were predicted by the underlying theory.

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