What Is Concurrent Validity? | Examples & Definition
Concurrent validity captures how similar a measure is to an existing measure of a similar construct; this second measure acts as a benchmark or “gold standard.” Both measures are taken at the same time, or concurrently. Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity.
Concurrent validity can help researchers assess how accurate a new measure or test is through comparison with a similar, well-established measure. If both measures yield similar results, they will be highly correlated and thus have high concurrent validity. Concurrent validity is often used in social sciences, psychology, business, and education.
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 measures are very similar, they will be highly correlated. You can therefore conclude that the concurrent validity of your new survey is high.
What is concurrent validity?
Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity that captures how well the results from one test or measure relate to an existing one; this existing test acts as a “gold standard,” or benchmark. This type of validity is often used in social science to determine if a new test measures what it’s supposed to, especially when it offers improvements (lower costs, ease of use, time requirements) compared to existing measures.
We can determine concurrent validity by computing the correlation between the new and benchmark tests. If the two yield similar results, they will be highly correlated and concurrent validity can be established.
As suggested by its name, concurrent validity should be assessed by comparing two measures taken at the same time, or concurrently. However, what “the same time” means can vary depending on what you are measuring:
- For relatively stable traits, like intelligence, concurrent validity could be assessed using two measures taken a few days apart.
- For constructs that fluctuate more rapidly, such as stress levels, measurements should be taken within close proximity to each other (e.g., within the same testing session) to more accurately assess concurrent validity.
Comparing one test to data obtained much later is instead called predictive validity, which is the second type of criterion validity. Other measures of validity include construct validity, content validity, ecological validity, internal validity, external validity, and face validity.
An inherent limitation of concurrent validity is its reliance on an existing measure that acts as a benchmark. If no such measure exists, a different measure of validity must be used. Moreover, if the test you use as a benchmark is biased or inaccurate, high concurrent validity simply indicates that your new test has similar problems.
Concurrent validity example
Concurrent validity is often assessed in survey research.
If the new quiz accurately measures eating habits, its scores should be highly correlated to those of the existing questionnaire. The concurrent validity of this tool would therefore be high, and you might consider implementing it instead of the lengthy assessment to optimize user experience.
Concurrent vs convergent validity
Concurrent validity is a form of criterion validity that establishes how well a new measure corresponds to an existing, well-established measure of a similar construct.
Convergent validity is a form of construct validity that measures how well two measures of the same construct correspond to one another.
Though both concurrent and convergent validity are used to compare two measures, they are subtly distinct:
- Concurrent validity emphasizes the similarity between two measurements taken at the same time, where one acts as a benchmark or gold standard for the other.
- Convergent validity also compares two measures that should theoretically be related, but measurements do not have to be taken at the same time and there is no need for a gold standard.
The researchers may decide to assess convergent validity by including two measures of personality in their research. They could have the students complete a personality assessment and also ask teachers to rate the personality characteristics of these students. In theory, both assessments measure the same construct. If both scores are similar, these measures would therefore have high convergent validity.
Concurrent validity could instead be assessed by comparing either personality assessment (the student survey or the teacher ratings) to a well-established measure of personality, like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. This test would have to be conducted at the same time as the other assessments to accurately measure concurrent validity.
Concurrent vs predictive validity
There are two types of criterion validity: concurrent and predictive validity. Both assess how well one test relates to another related outcome. However, the key difference between these measures is the timeline of comparison:
- Concurrent validity compares two measures taken at the same time.
- Predictive validity assesses how well a measure relates to a future measure taken later in time.
- They could measure concurrent validity by comparing the questionnaire results to students’ recently obtained SAT scores.
- To determine predictive validity, they could instead wait and compare the questionnaire results to students’ GPAs at the end of their freshman year.
Frequently asked questions about concurrent validity
- What is the difference between convergent and concurrent validity?
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Convergent and concurrent validity both indicate how well a test score and another variable compare to one another.
However, convergent validity indicates how well one measure corresponds to other measures of the same or similar constructs. These measures do not have to be obtained at the same time.
Concurrent validity instead assesses how well a measure aligns with a benchmark or “gold-standard,” which can be a ground truth or another validated measure. Both measurements should be taken at the same time.
- What are the two types of criterion validity?
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Criterion validity measures how well a test corresponds to another measure, or criterion. The two types of criterion validity are concurrent and predictive validity.
- Concurrent validity compares two measures obtained at the same time.
- Predictive validity indicates how well a test correlates with a measurement taken later on.
