The quality of obtaining consistent results across repeated trials is called what?

The quality of obtaining consistent results across repeated trials is called what?

• A. Validity
• B. Sampling
• C. Bias
• D. Reliability

Answer: (D)

Reliability is the quality of obtaining consistent results across repeated trials. It means measurements stay stable when you repeat them under the same conditions or have different people measure the same thing. This focus on consistency and repeatability is what reliability captures. It’s different from validity, which asks whether the measurement actually measures what it’s supposed to measure. A tool can be reliable (consistent results) but not valid (consistently off from the true value). Bias introduces systematic error that pushes results in a particular direction, and sampling is about how you select data. So the term that best describes consistent results across repetitions is reliability.

Reliability is the quality of obtaining consistent results across repeated trials. It means measurements stay stable when you repeat them under the same conditions or have different people measure the same thing. This focus on consistency and repeatability is what reliability captures. It’s different from validity, which asks whether the measurement actually measures what it’s supposed to measure. A tool can be reliable (consistent results) but not valid (consistently off from the true value). Bias introduces systematic error that pushes results in a particular direction, and sampling is about how you select data. So the term that best describes consistent results across repetitions is reliability.