Reliability and Validity

COUN 6204A Discussion

Discussion: Reliability and Validity

According to Hays, “Reliability refers to how consistently a test measures and the extent to which it eliminates chance and other extraneous factors in the results” (2017, p. 101). A reliable assessment instrument produces similar results when taken multiple times by the same test taker. For example, if an assessment instrument is designed to measure intelligence, the results should be approximately the same each time the instrument is administered to a specific individual.

Validity refers to whether an assessment instrument measures what it is intended to measure. The intelligence test used in the example above is valid only if the assessment instrument actually measures intelligence. Without reliability and validity, test scores would lack integrity and could lead to faulty results, which may ultimately harm test takers.

For this Discussion, review the readings in the Learning Resources. Call to mind instances that illustrate the concepts of reliability and validity.

Post an explanation of how an addiction assessment instrument may be reliable but not be valid. Then, explain why an addiction assessment instrument that is not reliable can never be deemed valid. Provide an example to illustrate your point. Justify your response with citations from your Learning Resources.

Link to video

http://cdn-media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/COUN/6204A/05/mm/reliability_validity/index.html