Generalizability – Research Methods

1. Generalizability of an experiment is related to __

construct validity, external validity, internal validity, or statistical validity

Please advise answer & why. Thanks!!
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1. Generalizability of an experiment is related to __

(a) construct validity
(b) External validity
(c) Internal validity
(d) Statistical validity

Best Answer: (b) External validity Good job!

Why external validity?

External validity is related to generalizing. In other words, external validity is the degree to which the conclusions in your study would hold for other populations of people (persons in other places and at other times).
In research, there are two major approaches to how we provide evidence for a generalization. In the sampling model, you start by identifying the population you would like to generalize to. Then, you draw a random sample from that population and conduct your research with the sample. Finally, because the sample is representative of the population, you can automatically generalize your results back to the population. There are several problems with this approach. First, perhaps you don’t know at the time of your study who you might ultimately like to generalize to. Second, you may not be easily able to draw a fair or representative sample. Third, it’s impossible to sample across all times that you might like to generalize to (like next …