Abstract

TAVARES, Marcelo. Clinical validity. PsicoUSF [online]. 2003, vol.8, n.2, pp. 125-136. ISSN 1413-8271.

This paper presents the concept of clinical validity in the context of the limitations in the validity of psychological assessment instruments and procedures. It argues that the validity of an indicator in the nomothetic approach is established in the process of attributing meanings to it, derived from its association with related indicators and theories. This process of attributing meanings is fundamentally qualitative, similar to the process of theoretical construction. It demonstrates that validity is not a property of instruments or procedures, but of the process of qualitative associations inferred from observed relationships. It presents a concept for clinical validity showing the need to search for ways to estimate the validity of information for each subject. The criteria for clinical validity are presented, based on the articulation of information that takes the subject and his or her personal context and history as reference.

Keywords : Validity; Clinical validity; Psychological assessment; Psychometrics; Nomothetic; Idiographic.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )