Internal Validity
Definition
Internal validity refers to how well an experiment is done, especially whether it avoids confounding (more than one possible independent variable [cause] acting at the same time).
Analogy
Think of internal validity as a detective trying to solve a case. The detective needs to ensure that all evidence points towards one suspect and not multiple suspects. If there are other plausible explanations or suspects, then the case (or study) lacks internal validity.
Related terms
Control Group: A group in an experiment that does not receive treatment by researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do.
Random Assignment: An experimental technique for assigning human participants or animal subjects to different groups in an experiment using randomization.
Confounding Variable: An outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable. This extraneous influence is used to influence the outcome of an experimental design intentionally.
"Internal Validity" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.