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Consistency

Definition

Consistency refers to the reliability of a measurement or test over time, across different parts of the same test, or among different raters. It indicates the degree to which the results of a measurement are stable and dependable.

Analogy

Think of consistency like baking cookies. If you follow the same recipe and use the same ingredients every time, you expect your cookies to turn out consistent in taste and texture. Similarly, in psychology, consistency means that if we administer a test multiple times or split it into different sections, we should get similar results.

Related terms

Test-Retest Reliability: This term refers to measuring consistency by administering the same test to the same group of individuals at two different points in time.

Split-Half Reliability: Split-half reliability is a measure of consistency obtained by splitting a test into two halves and comparing scores between them.

Inter-Rater Reliability: Inter-rater reliability assesses consistency among different raters who are observing and rating the same behavior or phenomenon.