Which statement describes face validity?

Which statement describes face validity?

• A. Does the test cover the full domain of the construct being measured
• B. Does the test correlate with an established gold standard
• C. Does the test yield consistent scores on retest
• D. Does the test appear to measure what it claims to measure

Answer: (D)

Face validity is about whether a test appears to measure the intended construct just by looking at it. It’s a subjective judgment, based on surface appearance rather than data. The statement that the test appears to measure what it claims to measure captures this idea. It doesn’t rely on statistical evidence or comparisons to a gold standard (that would be criterion validity), nor does it assure that the test covers the entire domain of the construct (content validity) or that it yields consistent results over time (reliability). So the option describing appearance in measuring the intended construct is the best fit.

Face validity is about whether a test appears to measure the intended construct just by looking at it. It’s a subjective judgment, based on surface appearance rather than data. The statement that the test appears to measure what it claims to measure captures this idea. It doesn’t rely on statistical evidence or comparisons to a gold standard (that would be criterion validity), nor does it assure that the test covers the entire domain of the construct (content validity) or that it yields consistent results over time (reliability). So the option describing appearance in measuring the intended construct is the best fit.