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The validity of measures of cognition: A review of the literature

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Abstract

The validity of recording, production, sampling, and endorsement approaches to the measurement of cognition was examined by reviewing relevant empirical studies. It was concluded that no significant approach is uniformly superior to the others, although stronger empirical support was found for the validity of endorsement measures. However, most measures were too narrow by focusing primarily on the frequency of negative self-statements. In addition, many failed to provide convincing evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity. The lack of agreement between approaches as well as differences in the accessibility of cognitions suggests that specification of appropriate assessment conditions is necessary to ensure accurate measurement of cognition.

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  1. Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

    David A. Clark

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Revision of this article was completed while I was on a three month postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Cognitive Therapy, University of Pennsylvania. I gratefully acknowledge Aaron T. Beck, Gary Brown, and Nancy Nason-Clark for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.

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Clark, D.A. The validity of measures of cognition: A review of the literature. Cogn Ther Res 12, 1–20 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01172777

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