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The effects training Brazilian jiu-jitsu has on the mental health of military members.  Within the military there are several factors that may contribute to depression and stress.  This study would look into the positive effects training jiu-jitsu has on military member and how it could reduce the depression, or PTSD symptoms a member may have or display.

Provide a detailed discussion regarding some of the potential threats that could occur to the internal validity of your study.

A few potential threats that could occur could be that the classes provided may not all be of the same instruction or level of instruction resulting in inconsistent or loss of complete control of the experiment.  Also, the different levels of issues could have some members taking longer to show any signs of improvement to symptoms, leaving the results incomplete.  As mentioned by Malec and Newman, (2013), “the degree of control affects the internal validity of the study” (ch. 5.4).  

Examine how these threats could reduce the validity of your study and possibly make the study invalid.

The results could not show an accurate representation in the impact the martial art could have on someone who is battling depression or PTSD and erode the importance that would be shown of the positive impact doing the martial art would have.  Not having a base line for what schools would be approved prior to start could hinder results if the class instructions are not consistent with each other and this independent variable would impact the results.  The dependent measures would need to be controlled and the base line of what symptoms and at what level of care would also need to be factors in the experiment.     

What are some ways you could increase the internal validity?

A few way to increase internal validity could be to be sure to use the correct experiment model. To have a high level of validity the experiment needs to have the maximum control over variables and the experiment should be designed to keep the independent variable being the only variable to have differences. (Malec and Newman, 2013).  Elimating the possibility for errors within the study is another way to increase internal validity, though there may be some errors that cannot be controlled.  

What is the importance of external validity for your study?

Having the highest level of realism can help with a high degree of external validity. (Malec and Newman, 2013).  Not substitute the martial art class with other exercises or a different martial art would help keep the external validity for the study.  Pressing to achieve mundane realism is a goal and as mentioned by Malec and Newman, (2013), “need to not re-create the phenomenon down to the last detail; instead, we aim to make the laboratory setting feel like the real world” (ch. 5.3).  Making it a real as possible, from those who have the symptoms to the realism of the jiu-jitsu classes, keeping a balance between the two will help.    

Is internal validity or external validity more important for your study?

I think it would depend on the study being conducted.  If the study wanted to focus on independent variables than an internal validity would be more important.  If the study wanted to see results beyond the conditions of the study than the external validity would become more important.  Either way both offer a specific look into a study and the results.

What do you find most difficult about the idea of validity?

Thinking that something is clear may not mean that it is.  The validity of a study could have several issues with someone who wants their hypothesis to be true and accurate.  Having total control of both external and internal factors may be close to impossible if you are dealing with people, as several factors could come into play when people are involved.    

What aspects of evaluating it or integrating it into research design are the most challenging and why?

Integrating validity is challenging because you may have more than one independent or dependent variable that needs internal validity.  Trying to get it to fit one of the designs can also be difficult due to not understanding the context completely or loosing focus on what they hypothesis is asking. 

What questions do you still have about experimental validity after this exercise?

A few questions I have would be when people are involved, such as within the study that I would like to conduct, how can you avoid false results?  Also, how can the validity of the study be maintained for both the internal and external areas, to include maintaining credibility with a topic that has not been aggressively studied?

References

Malec, T. & Newman, M. (2013). Research methods: Building a knowledge base. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. ISBN-13: 9781621785743, ISBN-10: 1621785742.

Forum 2: Experimental Validity

Experimental studies must adhere to internal and external validity conditions, ensuring widespread applicability of the established findings. Internal validity is the level of confidence that no factors sabotaged the trustworthiness of the collected data. In contrast, external validity relates to the extent of generalizability of the established findings to the whole population and other groups and stimuli (Patino & Ferreira, 2018). The current assignment dissects these validities based on research about the effect of discrimination and prejudice on depression among members of the LGBTQ+ community.

A matrix of threats could likely undermine the internal validity of the data collected in the above mentioned proposed study. The most common threats to validity include selection bias, attrition, history, maturation, and instrumentation (“Threats to Validity,” n. d.). In the proposed study, selection bias, instrumentation, and attrition are the three possible threats to the data’s internal validity. Markedly, the selection bias will occur if the selected participants experience varying social and cultural conditions because of the variation in their areas of residence. On the other hand, some participants might drop out of the study before completion, leading to attrition. Worse still, using inappropriate data collection techniques could invalidate the findings. However, to lessen or accumulate these threats, the research will target respondents from a single region, collect data within a short time while enforcing conditions that prevent dropouts, and use the most appropriate instrumentation.

External validity will also be a critical consideration when planning and executing the study. Research that fails to satisfy external validity conditions has undermined generalizability capacity, curtailing its widespread application in the real world. Although both internal and external validities are paramount, the former type is a priority for all experimental studies. A study that has adequate internal reliability has a high likelihood of applicability in the real world. However, without internal validity, the debate over such a study’s generalizability – eternal validity – to the whole population becomes non-existent.

The idea of linking internal and external validity is the most challenging concept to grasp. Several variables influence external validity, implying that one has to link the underlying factors that influence both validities to establish their correlation. After reading widely about this concept and completing the current assignment, I have no question about experimental validity.

References