REPLY 2 NOTES
detail timely Accurate
REPLY 2-1 AZ (50 words and 1 reference)
Ahmed et al (2021) states that the validity factor in research is about the assessment of how accurate is the measure of data or results, while the reliability factor is about the consistency of a measure of results or data. Combined they are used to assess the quality of the data. Many factors can contribute to the validity of the research such as guidelines and regulations that are put in place, one example is Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). GLPs require that all equipment is calibrated and run through an initial validation assessment. Data is collected and documented as it occurs and has to be signed off. One rule of thumb is if it wasn’t documented it did not happen, therefore all details must be captured at the time they occur. Back entry of any information is not allowed even if you just forgot to enter it and went back the next day. Auditors oversee activities and standard operating procedures (SOPs) need to be in place and followed.
Validity is the ability to repeat the same results if the same conditions are put in place. For example, a lab scientist should be able to take the lab notebook of a colleague and follow their instructions (notes) to run the same study and be able to replicate the results. This method is called test-retest reliability. Reliability is often assessed through statistical methods one example is the internal consistency reliability test; it is the consistency of the measurement itself, meaning that it measures if you get similar results from different parts of a test which is designed to measure the same thing.
If a study is not reliable and valid then the data has no value. Information that is not up to these standards can even set back research by providing erroneous information that cannot be replicated and it could even set back the research by injecting misleading or contrary information into the research community. Audits of research and peer reviews of papers are important to check for these traits and quality research will provide evidence of how all these issues have been addressed in a study.
REPLY 2-1 AC (150 words and 1 reference)
To me, reliability is how dependable something or someone is. If they say they are going to do something, they do it. If they say they are going to show up, they show up. If they say to call them anytime, they answer every time. To me, validity means to be true, honest, and logical.
In scientific research, both concepts of reliability and validity help to gauge the quality of the research (Middleton, 2019). The focus is on how well the experiment measures the thing being measured (Middleton, 2019). In this type of research, reliability concerns the consistency of the measurement while validity concerns the correctness of the measurement (Middleton, 2019). In sum, how consistent is the method used to measure the subject? How accurate is the method used to measure the subject? It is especially important to use these concepts in the research design phase for quantitative research (Middleton, 2019).
Reliability focuses on whether the results can be replicated over and over (Middleton, 2019). Validity requires the researchers to ask if the method of measurement is actually measuring the thing that is supposed to be measured (Middleton, 2019). It is important to realize how validity and reliability interact with each other. A good study will be both valid and reliable. However, it is possible for a study to be reliable but not valid (Middleton, 2019). In this case, the results can be replicated over and over but they are not necessarily accurate (Middleton, 2019).
Bringing this knowledge to the real world, in a recent study published in the journal Physiotherapy Research International, the subject being measured was whether the Ankle Lunge Test (ALT) is a reliable method to measure the effectiveness of Botulinum Toxin in patients who had recently had a stroke (Simondson et al., 2022). After a stroke, the gait and the ankles of patients can be affected (Simondson et al., 2022). The purpose of the study was to measure the reliability and validity of Botulinum Toxin therapy on the improvement of gait (Simondson et al., 2022). The researchers used the Repeated Measure Design and included forty stroke patients for the reliability testing portion of the research (Simondson et al., 2019). They did find that the ALT method was both reliable and valid (Simondson et al., 2019).
REPLY 2-2 AC (150 words and 1 reference)
Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment showed that most people will do what an authority figure tells them to do, even if it is wrong and at odds with their values and morals (Greenwood, 2018). This conformity, even in evildoing, can be scary and alarming (Greenwood, 2018). It is not a coincidence that Milgram began his experiment in the same month as the infamous trial of Adolf Eichmann, a German Nazi who transported hundreds of Jewish people to Holocaust camps (Greenwood, 2018). People around the world were wondering how anyone could do such a thing (Greenwood, 2018). Perhaps even more alarming is that Eichmann spoke of mindlessly following orders, without giving much thought to the horrible atrocities of his actions (Greenwood, 2018). This highlights the “banality of evil” (Greenwood, 2018).
Since Milgram’s experiment in the 1960s, many ethical changes have been made in how researchers can conduct experiments (Greenwood, 2018). In 1973, the American Psychological Association (APA) published their ethical principles with regards to research using human subjects (Greenwood, 2018). In addition, the National Research Act of 1974 prohibits causing distress to participants in research studies (Greenwood, 2018).
The GCU Statement on the Integration of Faith and Work talks about contributing to the common good and helping others flourish. It also addresses “carrying out our work with compassion for the common good.” Conducting research and experiments using secular guidelines compliments this statement of faith and work. They both aim to do no harm, however; the Christian worldview takes it even further by challenging us to help others flourish.