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Unit-16: Reliability and Validity
notes
Did You Know? Any researcher who studies any social problems has some pre-conceptions
regarding the favour or against of that, on the basis of his own principles
he classifies them as good or bad, correct or incorrect and based on his own
vested interest may even mould the facts.
in any such setting it becomes a victim of biasness or prejudice and the study loses its objectivity.
But in physical sciences there are lesser possibilities or distorting the facts because there is no fear in
presenting the facts in their real form and there is no hope for any selfish interest. Opposite to this in
the study social phenomena there is fear of power, fear of race and fear of caste which makes it biases,
and its selfish attitude forces it to bend towards special and false basis. He does not forget the fact that
he is an integral element of whatever he is studying and he gets trapped in his own interest, idols,
values, interest-disinterest which make him biased and prejudiced. Affected by these the researcher
forgets the achievement of neutrality and tries to reveal is own errors.
16.2 summary
y Many social phenomena are intangible because they are based on social relations, it is not easy
to find the facts related to them because their inspection and testing is very difficult and due
to this we experience difficulty to obtain its subjectivity.
y There are many problems in the achievement of objectivity such as influence of emotional
tendencies, and particularistic fallacy between general knowledge and real knowledge.
16.3 Keywords
1. objectivity—it views and tests the facts related to particular phenomena on a rational and
evident basis rather than as biased.
2. Ethnocentrism—Another problem in the path of achievement of objectivity and
neutrality.
16.4 review Questions
1. explain the importance of validity and reliability in the study of social phenomena.
2. Describe the problems in the achievement of objectivity.
answers: self assessment
1. researchers 2. researcher 3. objectivity.
16.5 Further Readings
Books 1. Social Survey and Research—Vandana Vohra, Radha Pubilcation.
2. Classical social Contemplation—Agarwal Gopal Kirshan, Bhatt Brothers.
loVely professional uniVersity 127
