Definition of Validity
(noun) When a measurement accurately reflects what is measured.
Example of Validity
- A scale at the grocery store accurately weighing produce.
Validity Pronunciation
Syllabification: va·lid·i·ty
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /vuh-lId-uh-tee/
- British English – /vuh-lId-i-tee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /vəˈlɪdəti/
- British English – /vəˈlɪdɪti/
Usage Notes
- Plural: validities
- Not to be confused with reliability, which is when the outcome of a measurement is consistent. For example, a thermometer can be 10 degrees off and be reliable by giving a consistent measurement, however it is not valid because it is registering an incorrect temperature.
Related Video
Additional Information
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “validity” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- attribute
- cohort
- control group
- correlation
- descriptive statistics
- inferential statistics
- reliability
- spurious correlation
- statistics
- statistical analysis
- survey
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Cite the Definition of Validity
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “validity.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/validity/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
validity. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/validity/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “validity.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/validity/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“validity.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/validity/>.