Poli Sci 2325 Assignment 6 (1)

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Western University *

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2325

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Electrical Engineering

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Feb 20, 2024

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James Theoharis M. Turgeon POLI SCI 2325 December 5, 2023 Poli Sci 2325 Assignment 6: Question: Internal and external validity are two important criteria to evaluate experiments. Define both types of validity and identify the threats to an experiment’s internal and external validity. Response: Internal and external validity are both key concepts in experimental research design. They both target different aspects of validity, with each concept having its own respective traits that set them apart from one another. Internal Validity involves the extent to which an experiment is conducted that allows researchers to draw accurate conclusions about the relationship between the independent variable (the variable being manipulated) and the dependent variable (the variable being measured). In turn, external validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be applied to other contexts outside of the experiment itself. The most common threat that both types of validity face is history, where an unrelated, uncontrollable event influences the outcomes. Specific threats to an experiment’s internal validity include maturation, where the outcomes of a study vary as a natural result of time, instrumentation, where different measures are used in pre-test and post-test phases, and testing, where the pre-test influences the post-test outcomes. Threats to external validity include sampling bias, where the sample is not representative of the full population, observer bias, where the characteristics or behaviours of the experimenters unintentionally influence the outcome of the study, the Hawthorne effect, in which a participant’s answers change with the knowledge that they are being studied, the testing effect, where the administration of a pre-test or post-test affects the outcomes, and the situation effect, where factors such as setting, time of day, location, researchers’ characteristics, etc. limiting the generalizability of the findings. Overall, both types of validity are crucial parts of the research process, with researchers needing to be careful in attempting to avoid pitfalls and threats to the validity of the process.
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