Reliability, Validity and Ethics
Judge consistency, accuracy and ethical safeguards across planning, conduct and interpretation.
How to study for GCSE Psychology
Confirm the exact board route, connect theories to prescribed studies, apply mechanisms to unfamiliar contexts, evaluate evidence and practise the current paper design.
Core concepts
Concept 1
reliability
Exam cue: Distinguish whether a problem concerns consistency, measuring the intended construct, causal control, real-world relevance or participant welfare.
Concept 2
validity
Exam cue: Propose a targeted improvement and explain how it addresses the identified weakness without creating a new design or ethical problem.
Concept 3
ethical guidelines
Exam cue: Practical classroom investigations develop assessed understanding but DfE states that learners are not directly assessed on those specific activities.
Targeted study blocks
Common psychology core
Build the transferable conceptual model
Distinguish whether a problem concerns consistency, measuring the intended construct, causal control, real-world relevance or participant welfare.
Evidence and application
Connect claims to method, findings and context
Propose a targeted improvement and explain how it addresses the identified weakness without creating a new design or ethical problem.
Current-route boundary
Apply only the live specification detail
Practical classroom investigations develop assessed understanding but DfE states that learners are not directly assessed on those specific activities.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Listing ethical terms without explaining the risk and safeguard in the proposed investigation.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Describing a theory or study without applying, analysing or evaluating it when the command requires more.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Importing a named theory, core study, diagnosis rule or paper convention from another specification.
Guardrail: Do not mix board routes, treat one study as proof, diagnose a person or append evaluation that does not change the answer to the question.
Memory anchors
Reliability
The consistency or repeatability of a measure, procedure or result.
Validity
How well a measure or inference represents what it claims to measure or explain.
Ethical safeguard
A proportionate step addressing consent, deception, withdrawal, privacy, confidentiality, protection or debriefing as relevant.
Reliability, Validity and Ethics: evidence check
Propose a targeted improvement and explain how it addresses the identified weakness without creating a new design or ethical problem.
Reliability, Validity and Ethics: route check
Practical classroom investigations develop assessed understanding but DfE states that learners are not directly assessed on those specific activities.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Which measurement quality is described by consistency?
What comparison is made when checking test–retest reliability?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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