When would researchers need high internal validity? When would they need high external validity? research methods pys230

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Psychology

When would researchers need high internal validity? When wouldthey need high external validity?
research methods pys230

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Why researchers require high internal validity Internal validity refers to how well an experiment is done especially whether it avoids confounding more than one possible independent variable cause acting at the same time The less chance for confounding in a study the higher its internal validity is Therefore internal validity refers to how well a piece of research allows you to choose among alternate explanations of something A research study with high internal validity lets you choose one explanation over another with a lot of confidence because it avoids many possible confounds Inferences are said to possess internal validity if a causal relationship between two variables is properly demonstratedA valid causal inference may be made when three criteria are satisfied the cause precedes the effect in time temporal precedence the cause and the effect tend to occur together covariation and there are no plausible alternative explanations for the observed covariation nonspuriousness In scientific experimental settings researchers often change the state of one variable the independent variable to see what effect it has on a second variable the dependent variableFor example a researcher might manipulate the dosage of a particular drug between different groups of people to see what effect it has on health In this example the researcher wants to make a causal inference namely that different doses of the drug may be held responsible for observed changes or differences When the researcher may confidently attribute the observed changes or differences in the dependent variable to the independent variable that is when the researcher observes an association between these variables and can rule out other explanations or rival hypotheses then the causal inference is said to be internally valid In many cases however the size of effects found in the See Answer

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