In a Word - Validity

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Today I discuss the term “validity.” Let’s say we wanted to develop a test that identifies pathological character traits or quantifies depression symptom burden on a patient. A good test is going to do more than simply list the diagnostic criteria for various diagnoses and then ask the patient if they think that sounds like them. A test needs to have a few things. First it needs to have a defined purpose. Is it to be used for diagnosis in a clinic or for research? Is it going to measure symptoms in already diagnosed patients and track their response to therapy? Is it meant to predict if a person would be a good candidate for something like being an astronaut or a member of the military? Once the purpose is determined, then you need to define something called a construct, and then you have to determine the validity of that construct.

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