External Validity concerns which aspect of research?

External Validity concerns which aspect of research?

• A. The extent to which results can be generalized to other populations
• B. The precision of measurement instruments
• C. The speed of data collection
• D. The amount of data used

Answer: (A)

External validity is about how well findings apply beyond the specific people, places, and times studied. The best choice captures the idea of generalizing results to other populations, because external validity asks whether the study’s conclusions would hold in different groups or real-world settings, not just in the exact sample or context examined. For example, a study conducted with participants from one city is most meaningful for understanding how results might extend to similar groups elsewhere, and possibly to broader populations, if the sample represents those groups well. The other ideas don’t fit external validity as directly. Precision of measurement instruments concerns how accurately and consistently we measure variables, which is about measurement quality rather than whether findings generalize. Speed of data collection and the amount of data relate to practicality or statistical power, not to whether results would apply in other contexts.

External validity is about how well findings apply beyond the specific people, places, and times studied. The best choice captures the idea of generalizing results to other populations, because external validity asks whether the study’s conclusions would hold in different groups or real-world settings, not just in the exact sample or context examined. For example, a study conducted with participants from one city is most meaningful for understanding how results might extend to similar groups elsewhere, and possibly to broader populations, if the sample represents those groups well.

The other ideas don’t fit external validity as directly. Precision of measurement instruments concerns how accurately and consistently we measure variables, which is about measurement quality rather than whether findings generalize. Speed of data collection and the amount of data relate to practicality or statistical power, not to whether results would apply in other contexts.