Internal validity refers to the confidence we place in the cause-and-effect relationship. In other words, it addresses the question; to what extent does the research design permit us to say that the independent variable. It causes a change in the dependent. As kidder and Judd note in research with high internal validity we are relatively better able to argue that the relationship is causal, whereas in studies with low internal validity, causality cannot be inferred at all.
In lab experiments where cause-and-effect relationships are substantiated internal validity can be said to be high. So far we have talked about establishing cause-and-effect relationships within the lab setting which is an artificially created and controlled environment. You might not have been specifically told what cause-and-effect relationships the experimenter was looking for, but you would have been told what is called a cover story.
That is you would have been appraised in general terms of some reason for the study and your role in it, without divulging its true purpose. After the end of the experiment you would have also been debriefed and give a full explanation of the experiment and any questions you might have had would have been answered. This is how lab experiments are usually conducted.
In lab experiments where cause-and-effect relationships are substantiated internal validity can be said to be high. So far we have talked about establishing cause-and-effect relationships within the lab setting which is an artificially created and controlled environment. You might not have been specifically told what cause-and-effect relationships the experimenter was looking for, but you would have been told what is called a cover story.
That is you would have been appraised in general terms of some reason for the study and your role in it, without divulging its true purpose. After the end of the experiment you would have also been debriefed and give a full explanation of the experiment and any questions you might have had would have been answered. This is how lab experiments are usually conducted.