What is Internal Validity?
Internal validity is a measure of how accurately a study can draw conclusions about cause and effect. It is the degree to which a study can establish a causal relationship between the independent variable (the variable being manipulated by the experimenter) and the dependent variable (the variable being measured). In order for a study to have strong internal validity, the researcher must be able to demonstrate that the manipulation of the independent variable caused the changes in the dependent variable.
Examples of Internal Validity
One example of internal validity is a scientific experiment. In this type of study, researchers manipulate the independent variable and measure the effect on the dependent variable. For example, a researcher might test the effect of a drug on pain relief. The researcher would then measure the amount of pain relief in the experimental group (the group receiving the drug) compared to the control group (the group not receiving the drug). If the experimental group experienced more pain relief than the control group, the researcher can conclude that the drug was responsible for the changes in pain relief. Another example of internal validity is a survey study. In this type of study, researchers measure the relationship between two variables. For example, a researcher might measure the relationship between education level and job satisfaction. If the researcher finds that individuals with higher levels of education have higher levels of job satisfaction, the researcher can conclude that there is a causal relationship between education level and job satisfaction.
Importance of Internal Validity
Internal validity is an important concept in research. It is important to establish a causal relationship between two variables in order to draw meaningful conclusions from a study. If a study does not have strong internal validity, any conclusions drawn from the study will be unreliable and potentially misleading.
Conclusion
Internal validity is a measure of how accurately a study can draw conclusions about cause and effect. It is important to establish a causal relationship between two variables in order to draw meaningful conclusions from a study. Examples of internal validity include scientific experiments and survey studies.
References
1. Internal Validity. (2020). Retrieved from https://explorable.com/internal-validity. 2. McLeod, S. (2020). Internal Validity. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/internal-validity.html.