“Psychometric validation” refers to the process of evaluating the reliability and validity of a psychological measurement tool (e.g., a questionnaire, scale, or test) to ensure it accurately and consistently measures the construct it is intended to assess.
Here’s a breakdown of the key components involved in psychometric validation:
✅ 1. Reliability This refers to the consistency of the instrument.
Internal Consistency: Are the items on the test measuring the same construct?
Commonly assessed using Cronbach’s alpha.
Test-Retest Reliability: Does the test produce similar results over time?
Inter-Rater Reliability: Are different raters or observers consistent in their ratings?
✅ 2. Validity This refers to whether the test measures what it is supposed to measure.
Content Validity: Do the items cover all aspects of the construct?
Construct Validity: Does the test relate to other measures as expected based on theory?
Includes convergent and discriminant validity.
Criterion-Related Validity:
Predictive Validity: Does it predict future outcomes?
Concurrent Validity: Does it correlate with other validated measures taken at the same time?
✅ 3. Factor Analysis Used to assess the dimensional structure of the instrument.
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): To identify underlying factors without a prior hypothesis.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): To test whether data fit a hypothesized measurement model.
✅ 4. Norms and Standardization Establishing normative data to interpret individual scores.
Standardizing the tool across diverse populations.
✅ 5. Item Analysis Evaluating item difficulty, discrimination, and item-total correlations.