Which concept best reflects validity in measurement?

Validity in measurement primarily concerns how well a tool or procedure accurately reflects the construct it is intended to measure. When a measurement has high validity, it means that the results genuinely represent what they claim to assess, ensuring that the conclusions drawn from the data are sound and relevant to the research question being studied.

For instance, if a social work study aims to measure the level of stress in individuals, a valid measurement tool would accurately capture the dimensions of stress as intended, rather than measuring another unrelated phenomenon or merely yielding scores that do not genuinely reflect the participants' experiences.

While consistency over time (reliability) is important in research, it does not directly address whether the measure accurately represents the concept in question. High variability can indicate differences in the measure's performance among subjects, but does not intrinsically ensure validity. Lastly, simplicity may enhance understanding and ease of use but does not inherently guarantee that the measure validly reflects the construct intended.