Mathematically, the square root of the reliability of a test will set the upper limit of

the validity coefficient of a test. So if a test has a relatively low reliability of .64, the
maximum correlation that the test could have with any criteria is .8. The point is
that while a test can be reliable but not valid for a particular use, a test cannot be
valid for any use if the scores are very unreliable.

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Here we illustrate how to determine whether a correlation coefficient is significant
(evidence of a true relationship) or not significant (no relationship). Lets say that
we have collected data from 20 students. We have given the students a test of
verbal achievement, and we have correlated students scores with their grades from
a course on creative writing. The resulting correlation coefficient is .45.

We now go to the table of critical values for Pearson productmoment correlation

coefficients in Appendix E. The table shows the degrees of freedom (df) and alpha
(a) levels for two-tailed and one-tailed tests. Psychologists usually set their alpha
level at 5 chances out of 100 (p < .05) using a two-tailed test, so we use that
standard for our example. Because we used the data from 20 students in our
sample, we substitute 20 for N in the formula for degrees of freedom (df = N 2).
Therefore, df = 20 2 or 18.

We then go to the table and find 18 in the df column. Finally, we locate the critical
value in that row under the .05 column. A portion of the table from Appendix E is
reproduced in the table below showing the alpha level for a twotailed test. The
critical value of .4438 (bolded in the table) is the one we use to test our correlation.
Because our correlation (.45) is greater than the critical value (.4438), we can infer
that the probability of finding our correlation by chance is less than 5 chances out of
100. Therefore, we assume that there is a true relationship and refer to the
correlation coefficient as significant. Note that if we had set our alpha level at a
more stringent standard of .01 (1 chance out of 100), our correlation coefficient
would have been interpreted as not significant. Critical Values for Pearson Product
Moment Correlation Coefficients F Y I SOURCE: From Statistical Tables for Biological,
Agricultural and Medical Research by R.A. Fisher and F. Yates. Copyright 1963.
Published by Pearson Education Limited.

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INTERIM SUMMARY 8.3 USING VALIDITY INFORMATION AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Statistical tool to be used

 When a relationship can be established between a test and a criterion, the test
scores can be used to predict how well individuals are likely to perform on the
criterion.

Linear regression is used to make predictions from scores from one test.
The slope b (the expected change in one unit of Y for every change in X) and the
intercept a (the point where the regression line crosses the y-axis) are important for
plotting a regression line.
Multiple regression is used to make predictions about a single criteria from two or
more different tests.
Decisions based on test scores have far-reaching consequences, and test users
should have evidence of validity to be sure that the test scores and their predictions
will be accurate.
When test takers are members of minorities, especially those who do not speak
standard English as their primary language, test users must be aware of test bias
and how it affects test validity

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