Validity: Criterion-Related

Introduction

Criterion-related validity involves verification that a test score is systematically related to an external variable. The current view on validity in the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, 1999) stresses the unity of psychological theory, evidence, and consequences in supporting the validity of a test used for a particular purpose. Seldom is there a direct use of a test for decision-making, however, that cannot be cast into a framework in which criterion-related validity applies.

For many types of educational and psychological tests, the accurate prediction of a criterion of interest is the primary virtue of the test score. Investigations of criterion-related validity justify using a test for employee selection, college admission, or clinical diagnosis when they demonstrate a correlation between scores on the predictor ...