Reliability refers to proving that the same research may be repeated
replicating the same or similar results 10 marks
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Answer: When we call someone or something reliable, we mean that they are consistent and dependable. Reliability is also an important component of a good psychological test. After all, a test would not be very valuable if it was inconsistent and produced different results every time. How do psychologists define reliability? What influence does it have on psychological testing?
Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure.1 A test is considered reliable if we get the same result repeatedly. For example, if a test is designed to measure a trait (such as introversion), then each time the test is administered to a subject, the results should be approximately the same. Unfortunately, it is impossible to calculate reliability exactly, but it can be estimated in a number of different ways.
Test-Retest Reliability
Test-retest reliability is a measure of the consistency of a psychological test or assessment. This kind of reliability is used to determine the consistency of a test across time. Test-retest reliability is best used for things that are stable over time, such as intelligence.
Test-retest reliability is measured by administering a test twice at two different points in time. This type of reliability assumes that there will be no change in the quality or construct being measured.2 In most cases, reliability will be higher when little time has passed between tests.
The test-retest method is just one of the ways that can be used to determine the reliability of a measurement. Other techniques that can be used include inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, and parallel-forms reliability.
It is important to note that test-retest reliability only refers to the consistency of a test, not necessarily the validity of the results.
Inter-Rater Reliability
This type of reliability is assessed by having two or more independent judges score the test.3 The scores are then compared to determine the consistency of the raters estimates.
One way to test inter-rater reliability is to have each rater assign each test item a score. For example, each rater might score items on a scale from 1 to 10. Next, you would calculate the correlation between the two ratings to determine the level of inter-rater reliability.
Another means of testing inter-rater reliability is to have raters determine which category each observation falls into and then calculate the percentage of agreement between the raters. So, if the raters agree 8 out of 10 times, the test has an 80% inter-rater reliability rate.
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