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Define instrumentation as a threat to internal validity and describe the two primary ways this threat can manifest in a study (specifically regarding the roles of observers and participants) according to the provided text.
Question: Define instrumentation as a threat to internal validity and describe the two primary ways this threat can manifest in a study (specifically regarding the roles of observers and participants) according to the provided text.
Sample answer: Instrumentation threatens a study's internal validity when the fundamental characteristics of the measuring instrument or process change between the pretest and posttest. This threat can manifest in two ways: first, when human observers gradually gain skill, become fatigued, or unconsciously alter their evaluation standards over time; and second, when the participants themselves change their approach to the measurement tool, such as taking a survey seriously during a novel pretest but becoming bored and less careful with their responses during the posttest.
Key points:
- Instrumentation threat is defined as changes in the measuring instrument or process between pretest and posttest.
- Observers can alter evaluation standards over time due to skill gain, fatigue, or unconscious changes.
- Participants can change their approach to the measurement tool, becoming bored and less careful during the posttest compared to a novel pretest.
Rubric: To earn full credit, the response must: 1) Define instrumentation threat as a change in the fundamental characteristics of the measuring instrument or process between pretest and posttest. 2) Describe how observers can cause this threat (skill gain, fatigue, or altered standards). 3) Describe how participants can cause this threat (changing their approach from serious during a novel pretest to bored and less careful during the posttest).
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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