Question

Pop psychology tests are a common form of entertainment online. Find a personality or relationship quiz (try the relationship tests on www.marsvenus.com or the personality tests at www.cosmomag.com).

Can you find any evidence for the reliability and validity of the quizzes on the websites? Choose one of these pop psychology tests and explain how you would test its reliability and validity; that is, explain the data that you would collect and state the results you would predict. You might frame your predictions in this form: "If this pop psychology scale were valid, it would be expected that it correlated with . . ." or "If this scale were reliable, it would be expected…"

Answer 1

Have experienced and witnessed pop psychology test and participated as well. These kinds are available extensively on a social platform like facebook etc.

Before we can understand the reliability or validity it's important to understand the "TEST" and "EXPERIMENT"

EXPERIMENT is the something where validity of the hypothesis is tested with variety of variable [ Independent variable, Dependent variable, control variable etc]

TEST on other hand is used to comprehend and calculate certain attributes or aspects of the individuals like cognitive abilities, Intelligence etc. But it is important to put a note that there is an exception to the accuracy. The test can be reliable but not valid. However, the test cannot valid unless its reliable. The test can provide you the consistent results conducted by any person at any point in time, making a reliable but can not be valid, unless it is measuring what it suppose to measure.

To test reliability of any test we have 3 kinds of methods : Test-Retest method ( same test given to same participants in different occasion or situation); Split-Half ( test divided into two half and test score of both the half are correlated); Alternate forms [ two versions of the test are constructed, and given to the same participant on two occasions. Scores on the two forms should show a high positive correlation or reliability].

Validity can be measured by 3 methods: Construct validity [ complete construct in relation to or support of theory]; Content validity [ test measure what it supposes to measure]; concurrent validity [ do the test result matches the results of other existing measures].

There is no evidence of reliability and validity of the online test. Even if we choose and try to construct the complete process, It would not be accurate as we would be making lots of assumptions.