Criterion validity (or criterion-related validity) is an assessment of how accurately a test or instrument captures the outcome it was designed to measure. These outcomes are generally constructs that cannot be directly measured, such as intelligence or happiness. Such constructs occur frequently in psychology research.
Criterion validity is determined by comparing your test results to a “gold standard,” or criterion, that acts as a ground truth. If your test and the criterion are measuring the same construct, they should be highly correlated (i.e., have high criterion validity).
There are two types of criterion validity, which differ in their timelines of comparison. Concurrent validity compares two measures administered at the same time, whereas predictive validity captures how one measure correlates with a second measure taken in the future.
Criterion validity exampleA technology company has created a watch that uses biometric data to estimate users’ stress levels. However, they want to ensure that their estimate of stress has criterion validity. This can be done by measuring either concurrent or predictive validity.
Concurrent validity could be assessed by comparing the watch’s real-time estimate of stress levels to a validated measure of stress administered at the same time, such as the Perceived Stress Scale.
Predictive validity could be determined by examining whether initial watch estimates of stress correlate to future health outcomes associated with chronic stress, such as hypertension.
If the watch estimates are highly correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale or future measures of hypertension, the company has successfully established criterion validity.
Concurrent validity captures how similar a measure is to an existing measure of a similar construct; this second measure acts as a benchmark or “gold standard.” Both measures are taken at the same time, or concurrently. Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity.
Concurrent validity can help researchers assess how accurate a new measure or test is through comparison with a similar, well-established measure. If both measures yield similar results, they will be highly correlated and thus have high concurrent validity. Concurrent validity is often used in social sciences, psychology, business, and education.
Concurrent validity exampleImagine you’re a psychology student interested in how anxiety levels relate to exam performance. To maximize participation in your study, you need a fast and convenient way to measure anxiety. You’ve therefore developed a short survey to assess the anxiety levels of your classmates.
You could determine the concurrent validity of your new measure by comparing its results to those of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), a well-established anxiety assessment tool. A sample of students could complete your survey alongside the GAD-7. If the results of both measures are very similar, they will be highly correlated. You can therefore conclude that the concurrent validity of your new survey is high.
