Threats to validity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Threats to validity - Essay Example 231). Owing to the involved period, participants to an experiment may adjust to the experimental environment and realign physically, psychologically, or emotionally due to maturation in the set environment or towards expectations (Jackson, 2011). A hypothetical case to history, as a threat to validity, involves an experiment, carried over a ‘six-month’ period, to test effectiveness of a depression therapy. While the participants’ stay in the experimental environment over time, and not the particular therapy may have psychological and emotional impacts to reduce the participants’ depression level, the researcher may be misled to believe that the therapy is effective in managing the level of depression (Jackson, 2011). These types of threats to validity are very difficult to recognize and control. This is because they are majorly psychologically subconscious factors in participants that are not evident to both a researcher and a participant. They can however be controlled through precautionary measures such as application of an â€Å"equivalent control group† to eliminate the effects on validity (Jackson, 2011, p.