AP Psychology – Common Psychology Terms

Validity asks whether a test measures what it is intended to measure and supports the inferences drawn from the results. It’s about accurate alignment between the test content and the construct you mean to assess. For example, a depression inventory should reflect aspects of depressive symptoms and predict relevant outcomes, not measure unrelated traits like physical stamina. Different forms of validity help show this: content validity checks that items cover the entire domain of the construct; criterion-related validity shows that test scores relate to external criteria or other established measures of the same construct; and construct validity examines how well the test fits theoretical expectations and differentiates the target construct from others. Remember, a test can be reliable (consistent results) without being valid, but validity cannot be claimed if the test isn’t measuring the intended construct. Standardization focuses on consistent administration and scoring, while variability refers to how much scores differ across individuals—neither determines whether the test measures the right thing.