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Validity

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Definition

The term “validity” refers to the extent to which a concept or measurement accurately corresponds to the real world.

In psychiatry and psychology, validity is often discussed in terms of its application to psychometrics, or the study of psychological measurement. This application of the term is known as test validity, which refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). Test validity is important because it determines the inferences that can be made based on the test results.

In evaluating the validity of a test, several lines of evidence can be considered to support its validity. In particular, three principal types of validity must be considered: content validity, criterion validity, and construct validity (Lord & Corsello, 2005; Sattler, 2008). Content validity refers to the degree that the items on a test accurately represent the domain that the test is aiming to measure. Building content validity into a test involves...

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References and Readings

  • Anastasi, A., & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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  • Lord, C., & Corsello, C. (2005). Diagnostic instruments in autistic spectrum disorders. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 730–771). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

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  • Robins, E., & Guze, S. B. (1970). Establishment of diagnostic validity in psychiatric illness: Its application to schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 983–987.

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  • Sattler, J. M. (2008). Assessment of children: cognitive foundations (5th ed.). La Mesa, CA: Jerome M. Sattler, Publisher, Inc.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child Study Center, Autism Program, Yale University, 40 Temple St, Ste 7D, 06510, New Haven, CT, USA

    Dr. Anne Snow (Postdoctoral Associate, Child Study Center, Autism Program)

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  1. Dr. Anne Snow
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Correspondence to Anne Snow .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology Yale University School of Medicine, Chief, Child Psychiatry Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar (Director, Child Study Center) (Director, Child Study Center)

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Snow, A. (2013). Validity. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1652

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1652

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1697-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1698-3

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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