Measrement Criteria
The following are major criteria by which measurment data are evaluated with reference to their effictivness and usefulness.
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Validity - the idea that a
measurement tool's output represent a report that is a solid indicator of
whatever characteristics the designer has targeted. Validity may be
an issue of whether a tool accurately represents a theoretical construct.
It may also focus on to what extent results on one measurement can be used
to predict a second outcome. |
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Reliability - the idea that a
tool is consistent in its report. This may be the issues in looking
if a tool administered at different times produces similar scores.
It may also be an issue when two or more evaluators look at the same
evidence as to whether the scores of each evaluator are consistent with
the others. It may also be an issue as to whether each of several
items used to construct a scale are loading to that scale in a consistent
manner. |
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Control (or statistical control) - the procedures used with real-world data when the condition of "all other
things being equal" cannot be attained by experimental design. |
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Cause and Effect - the logical
conditions required in order to conclude (or assume) that changes or
differences in one measure as causing or responsible for changes in an
other measured outcome. |
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Probability and Determinism - is one of the most difficult concepts for many people to understand. When social scientists talk about something "causing" some result, they generally mean that the probability, or chance, of that results in increased by the cause. The most frequent patterns are not a certain cause in which 100% of the cases exposed to the cause show the result. |
