psychometrics Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...

, criterion validity, or criterion-related validity, is the extent to which an

operationalization In research design, especially in psychology, social sciences, life sciences and physics, operationalization or operationalisation is a process of defining the measurement of a phenomenon which is not directly Measurement, measurable, though its ex ...

of a construct, such as a test, relates to, or predicts, a theoretical representation of the construct—the criterion. Criterion validity is often divided into concurrent and predictive validity based on the timing of measurement for the "predictor" and outcome.

Concurrent validity Concurrent validity is a type of evidence that can be gathered to defend the use of a test for predicting other outcomes. It is a parameter used in sociology, psychology, and other Psychometrics, psychometric or behavioral sciences. Concurrent vali ...

refers to a comparison between the measure in question and an outcome assessed at the same time. '' Standards for Educational & Psychological Tests'' states, "concurrent validity reflects only the status quo at a particular time."

Predictive validity In psychometrics, predictive validity is the extent to which a score on a scale or test predicts scores on some criterion measure. For example, the validity of a cognitive test for job performance is the correlation between test scores and, for e ...

, on the other hand, compares the measure in question with an outcome assessed at a later time. Although concurrent and predictive validity are similar, it is cautioned to keep the terms and findings separated. "Concurrent validity should not be used as a substitute for predictive validity without an appropriate supporting rationale."American Psychological Association, Inc. (1974). "Standards for educational & psychological tests" Washington D. C.: Author. Criterion validity is typically assessed by comparison with a gold standard test. An example of concurrent validity is a comparison of the scores of the

CLEP The College Level Examination Program is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty-six subject areas and provide a mechanism for earning college credits wi ...

College Algebra exam with course grades in college algebra to determine the degree to which scores on the CLEP are related to performance in a college algebra class. An example of predictive validity is IQ tests, it was originally developed predict future school performance. Another example is a comparison of scores on the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

with first semester

grade point average Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

(GPA) in college; this assesses the degree to which SAT scores are predictive of college performance.

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A page detailing multiple validity points
Validity (statistics) {{statistics-stub

See also

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External links