Which of the following best describes what is measured by Cronbach's alpha?

Which of the following best describes what is measured by Cronbach's alpha?

• A. The average score of all items in a test
• B. The number of items in a test
• C. The consistency of responses across items in a test
• D. The validity of a specific hypothesis

Answer: (C)

Cronbach's alpha is a statistical measure used to assess the internal consistency of a test or scale, which reflects how closely related a set of items are as a group. It is particularly important in psychology and social sciences, where researchers frequently use multiple-item measures to assess unobservable constructs such as attitudes, personality traits, or psychological states. When Cronbach's alpha is calculated, it provides a coefficient that ranges from 0 to 1, where higher values indicate greater internal consistency among the items. This means that if a test has high Cronbach's alpha, the items are likely measuring the same underlying construct, and respondents are providing similar answers across those items. In contrast, the other choices do not align with what Cronbach's alpha measures. The average score of all items in a test refers to a descriptive statistic rather than a gauge of item consistency. The number of items in a test is simply a count and does not reflect how well those items correlate with one another. Lastly, the validity of a specific hypothesis pertains to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure, which is a different concept entirely from internal consistency.

Cronbach's alpha is a statistical measure used to assess the internal consistency of a test or scale, which reflects how closely related a set of items are as a group. It is particularly important in psychology and social sciences, where researchers frequently use multiple-item measures to assess unobservable constructs such as attitudes, personality traits, or psychological states.

When Cronbach's alpha is calculated, it provides a coefficient that ranges from 0 to 1, where higher values indicate greater internal consistency among the items. This means that if a test has high Cronbach's alpha, the items are likely measuring the same underlying construct, and respondents are providing similar answers across those items.

In contrast, the other choices do not align with what Cronbach's alpha measures. The average score of all items in a test refers to a descriptive statistic rather than a gauge of item consistency. The number of items in a test is simply a count and does not reflect how well those items correlate with one another. Lastly, the validity of a specific hypothesis pertains to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure, which is a different concept entirely from internal consistency.