Synonyms
Definition
Discriminant validity is demonstrated by evidence that measures of constructs that theoretically should not be highly related to each other are, in fact, not found to be highly correlated to each other. Practically speaking, discriminant validity coefficients should be noticeably smaller in magnitude than convergent validity coefficients.
Description
Evidence for discriminant validity is provided when measures of constructs that theoretically should not be highly related to each other are, in fact, not found to be related to each other. The term “discriminant validity” stems from theoretical approaches in validity that focus on the construct (e.g., Cronbach & Meehl, 1955). In the trinitarian approach to validity, convergent and discriminant validities form the evidence for construct validity (Hubley & Zumbo, 1996). The goal of discriminant validity evidence is to be able to discriminate between measures of dissimilar constructs. The term “divergen...
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Hubley, A.M. (2014). Discriminant Validity. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_751
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_751
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