internal consistency

the degree of interrelationship or homogeneity among the items on a test, such that they are consistent with one another and measuring the same thing. Internal consistency is an index of the reliability of a test. Also called internal consistency reliability; internal reliability. See also interitem correlation.

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Psychology term of the day

December 21st 2024

self-selection bias

a type of bias that can arise when study participants choose their own treatment conditions, rather than being randomly assigned. In such cases, it is impossible to state unambiguously that a study result is due to the treatment condition and not to the preexisting characteristics of those individuals who chose to be in this condition. Also called self-selection effect. See also sampling bias.