Criterion validity (or criterion-related validity) is an assessment of how accurately a test or instrument captures the outcome it was designed to measure. These outcomes are generally constructs that cannot be directly measured, such as intelligence or happiness. Such constructs occur frequently in psychology research.
Criterion validity is determined by comparing your test results to a “gold standard,” or criterion, that acts as a ground truth. If your test and the criterion are measuring the same construct, they should be highly correlated (i.e., have high criterion validity).
There are two types of criterion validity, which differ in their timelines of comparison. Concurrent validity compares two measures administered at the same time, whereas predictive validity captures how one measure correlates with a second measure taken in the future.
Criterion validity exampleA technology company has created a watch that uses biometric data to estimate users’ stress levels. However, they want to ensure that their estimate of stress has criterion validity. This can be done by measuring either concurrent or predictive validity.
Concurrent validity could be assessed by comparing the watch’s real-time estimate of stress levels to a validated measure of stress administered at the same time, such as the Perceived Stress Scale.
Predictive validity could be determined by examining whether initial watch estimates of stress correlate to future health outcomes associated with chronic stress, such as hypertension.
If the watch estimates are highly correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale or future measures of hypertension, the company has successfully established criterion validity.
When researchers want to measure constructs (i.e., abstract concepts) like “happiness” or “job satisfaction,” they rely on instruments like surveys or tests. However, how can they ensure that these tools are accurately measuring what they are intended to? This is where concurrent validity comes in.
Concurrent validity evaluates the accuracy of a new test by comparing it to one that’s already well established. Both tests are measured at the same time—concurrently—and the established measure acts as a gold standard. If both tests yield similar results, the new test has high concurrent validity.
Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity and is commonly used in psychology, business, healthcare, and education research.
Concurrent validity in psychology exampleImagine you’re a psychology student interested in how anxiety levels relate to exam performance. You need a fast and convenient way to measure anxiety. You’ve therefore developed a short survey to assess the anxiety levels of your classmates.
You could determine the concurrent validity of your new measure by comparing its results to those of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), a well-established anxiety assessment tool. A sample of students could complete your survey alongside the GAD-7. If the results of both tests are very similar, they will be highly correlated. You can therefore conclude that the concurrent validity of your new survey is high.
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