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Cited by 11,195Psychometric Methodologies and TestingPsychological Testing and AssessmentAcademic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology

Construct validity in psychological tests.

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Cronbach, Lee J., Meehl, Paul E.·1955·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/h0040957
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Abstract

Cronbach, L. J.; Meehl, Paul E.. (1956). Construct validity in psychological tests. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/184279.

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Crossref · 10.1037/h0040957

Cites

49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • ToM evaluations may fail to measure the underlying psychological construct that they are designed to measure.

    “The second issue is the validity of ToM evaluations: ToM evaluations may fail to measure the underlying psychological construct that they are designed to measure [53,54].”

    From Re-evaluating Theory of Mind evaluation in large language models (2025) · cites this paper as [53]

    The paper explains that a test’s proposed interpretation may be at fault when predicted relationships fail (p. 200), and says negative evidence should discourage use of a test pending reconciliation of the test and construct (section on practical use). This supports the general possibility that an evaluation may not measure its intended construct, but our copy does not address ToM evaluations specifically. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Neighboring measures should support distinct interpretations within a nomological network rather than be treated as interchangeable indicators.

    “This is fundamentally a construct-validity problem: neighboring measures should support distinct interpretations within a nomological network rather than be treated as interchangeable indicators (Cronbach and Meehl, 1955; Messick, 1995).”

    From Beyond checking: verification quality, reliance calibration, and learning in generative AI-assisted higher education (2026) · cites this paper as Cronbach and Meehl, 1955

    In “The Nomological Net” (page not provided), Cronbach and Meehl say that interpretations of measures depend on their positions in a nomological network, supporting the need to justify how neighboring measures are interpreted. But they also explicitly allow different operations to “measure the same thing” when the network ties them to the same construct; the source does not require neighboring measures to have distinct interpretations. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • To ensure sound methodology, the authors followed best practice guidelines for scale development, which typically include item generation, scale construction, and scale evaluation.

    “To ensure sound methodology, we followed best practice guidelines for the scale development (see e.g., Boateng et al., 2018;Cronbach & Meehl, 1955) which typically include steps of item generation, scale construction, and scale evaluation.”

    From Development and Validation of a Basic Psychological Needs Scale for Technology Use (2024) · cites this paper as Cronbach & Meehl, 1955

    In “The Logic of Construct Validation” (p. 186), Cronbach and Meehl describe evaluating whether an instrument measures its proposed construct, supporting the scale-evaluation aspect. The passages from our copy do not set out item generation, scale construction, and scale evaluation as a three-step scale-development guideline. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • This work contributes to the building of a nomological net for a more nuanced conceptualization of religious belief and belonging by attending to meaning-making and its developmental progression within context-specific applications.

    “This work contributes to the building of a nomological net (Cronbach and Meehl 1955) for a more nuanced conceptualization of religious belief and belonging by attending to meaning-making and its developmental progression within context-specific applications.”

    From A Reframing of Meaning-Making and Its Measurement Among Emerging Adults (2025) · cites this paper as Cronbach and Meehl 1955

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Cites

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1 of the 50 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. [6]6. Braithwaite, R. B. Scientific Explamtion. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1953.
  2. [9]9. Child, I. L. "Personality," Annual Review of Psychology, 5: 149-71 ( 1954).
  3. [16]16. Cureton, E. E. "Validity," in E. F. Lindquist (ed.). Educational Measurement, pp. 62 1-95. Washington, D . C. : Amer. Council on Education, 1950.
  4. [20]20. F'eigl, H. "Confim1ability and Confim1ation," Revue Internationale de Philoso- phic, 5: 1-12 (1<)51). Reprinted in P. P. Wiener (ed.), Readings in Pbilosopliy of Science, pp. 522-30. New York: Scribner's, 1953.
  5. [38]38. Kneale, W. Probabilit)' and Induction. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949. Pages 92-l IO reprinted as " Induction, Explanation, and Transcendent Hypotheses," in H. Feig! and M. Brodbeck (eds.), Readings in t11e Pliilosopl1y of Science, pp. 353-67. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1953.
  6. [41]41. MacCorquodale, K., and P. E. Meelil. "On a Distinction Detween Ilypotl1etical Constrncts and Intervening Variables," Psychological Review, 5 5: 95-107 ( 1948).
  7. [43]43. McKinley, J. C., and S. R. Hathaway. "The MMPI : V. Hysteria, H ypomania, and Psychopathic Deviate," Journal of Applied Psychology, 28:153-71 (19H).
  8. [53]53. Peak, Helen. "Problems of Objective Observation," in L . Festinger :md D. Katz (eels.), Researcl1 M ethods in the Bel1avioral Sciences, pp. 243-300. New York: Dryclc11, 1953.

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Authors
Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1955-07
Volume
52
Issue
4
Pages
281-302
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/h0040957
OpenAlex
W1964218847
Cited by
11,195
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 487 · 2025: 408 · 2024: 463 · 2023: 491 · 2022: 496 · 2021: 581 · 2020: 545 · 2019: 496 · 2018: 452 · 2017: 443 · 2016: 438 · 2015: 427 · 2014: 396 · 2013: 380 · 2012: 354
FWCI
33.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › General Psychology › Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology
Keywords
construct validity, psychological tests, test validity, psychometrics, measurement theory
MeSH terms
Humans, Psychological Tests

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