Internal Validity vs Construct Validity

Internal validity and construct validity are both important concepts in research methodology, especially in experimental and psychological research. However, they refer to different aspects of the research design and interpretation of results.

Internal Validity:

• Definition: Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study accurately measures or demonstrates the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable, without interference from extraneous variables.
• Concern: Researchers are primarily concerned with internal validity when they want to ensure that the changes observed in the dependent variable are indeed caused by the manipulation of the independent variable and not by other factors.
• Threats to Internal Validity: Common threats to internal validity include selection bias, history effects, maturation, testing effects, and instrumentation issues.