Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Validation: An Investigation Of Factors That Influence Social Validity Ratings, Dianne J. Smart

Student Work

The expansion in social validation literature has initiated a growing concern surrounding several methodology issues. In particular the need has arisen for social validation research to incorporate reliable and valid measurement scales and to explore the effects of extraneous variables on judges’ ratings. The current study socially validated the effects of a consultant training program and investigated the effects of four variables on judges’ ratings: judges' position, judges' program affiliation, viewed consultant-trainee's level of training and an individual consultanttrainee factor. Teaching-Parent and consultant judges from three different training sites viewed videotapes of consultant-trainees before and after training. The judges rated …