Which statement best describes convergent validity?

Which statement best describes convergent validity?

• A. It uses correlation with similar constructs to indicate convergence.
• B. It uses correlation with dissimilar constructs to indicate divergence.
• C. It measures test-retest reliability.
• D. It has no relation to validity.

Answer: (A)

Convergent validity is shown when a measure correlates with other measures that are intended to assess the same or a closely related construct. This broadens confidence that the instrument is actually tapping the intended trait, not something else. In practice, you’d expect a strong positive correlation between the new measure and established scales of the same construct (for example, a new anxiety questionnaire would align with an existing anxiety scale) and with related indicators that theoretically overlap with that construct. This pattern of convergence supports that you’re measuring the same thing. In contrast, discriminant validity looks at low correlations with dissimilar constructs to show the measure isn’t capturing unrelated traits. And reliability concepts like test-retest reliability assess stability over time, not whether the measure relates to other measures of the same construct.

Convergent validity is shown when a measure correlates with other measures that are intended to assess the same or a closely related construct. This broadens confidence that the instrument is actually tapping the intended trait, not something else. In practice, you’d expect a strong positive correlation between the new measure and established scales of the same construct (for example, a new anxiety questionnaire would align with an existing anxiety scale) and with related indicators that theoretically overlap with that construct. This pattern of convergence supports that you’re measuring the same thing.

In contrast, discriminant validity looks at low correlations with dissimilar constructs to show the measure isn’t capturing unrelated traits. And reliability concepts like test-retest reliability assess stability over time, not whether the measure relates to other measures of the same construct.