However, if they were to operationalize the behavior category of aggression this would be more objective and make it easier to identify when a specific behavior occurs.įor example, while “aggressive behavior” is subjective and not operationalized, “pushing” is objective and operationalized. In this scenario, it would be unlikely they would record aggressive behavior the same and the data would be unreliable. This means that they have been objectively defined.įor example, if two researchers are observing ‘aggressive behavior’ of children at nursery they would both have their own subjective opinion regarding what aggression comprises. Ensuring behavior categories have been operationalized.Training observers in the observation techniques being used and making sure everyone agrees with them.Where observer scores do not significantly correlate then reliability can be improved by: If the data is similar then it is reliable. Here researchers observe the same behavior independently (to avoided bias) and compare their data. Note, it can also be called inter-observer reliability when referring to observational research. Inter-rater reliability can be used for interviews. This refers to the degree to which different raters give consistent estimates of the same behavior. The test-retest method assesses the external consistency of a test. The timing of the test is important if the duration is to brief then participants may recall information from the first test which could bias the results.Īlternatively, if the duration is too long it is feasible that the participants could have changed in some important way which could also bias the results. This is an example of why reliability in psychological research is necessary, if it wasn’t for the reliability of such tests some individuals may not be successfully diagnosed with disorders such as depression and consequently will not be given appropriate therapy. 93 therefore demonstrating high test-restest reliability of the depression inventory. (1996) studied the responses of 26 outpatients on two separate therapy sessions one week apart, they found a correlation of. The disadvantages of the test-retest method are that it takes a long time for results to be obtained.īeck et al. If the same or similar results are obtained then external reliability is established. It measures the stability of a test over time.Ī typical assessment would involve giving participants the same test on two separate occasions. Examples of appropriate tests include questionnaires and psychometric tests. Therefore the split-half method was not be an appropriate method to assess reliability for this personality test. This means it would not be appropriate for tests which measure different constructs.įor example, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory has sub scales measuring differently behaviors such as depression, schizophrenia, social introversion. However, it can only be effective with large questionnaires in which all questions measure the same construct. The split-half method is a quick and easy way to establish reliability. 25) should either be removed or re-written. For example, any items on separate halves of a test which have a low correlation (e.g. The reliability of a test could be improved through using this method. If the two halves of the test provide similar results this would suggest that the test has internal reliability. first half and second half, or by odd and even numbers. A test can be split in half in several ways, e.g. This is done by comparing the results of one half of a test with the results from the other half. There, it measures the extent to which all parts of the test contribute equally to what is being measured. The split-half method assesses the internal consistency of a test, such as psychometric tests and questionnaires.
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