Which statement is true regarding the relationship between internal and external validity?

The relationship between internal and external validity is an important concept in research methodology. Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study accurately establishes a cause-and-effect relationship within the study context, free from biases or confounding variables. On the other hand, external validity pertains to the generalizability of the study’s findings to other contexts, populations, and settings outside of the study.

When a study is highly controlled to ensure internal validity—such as in a laboratory setting—it often limits the scenarios in which the findings can be applied to real-world situations. The conditions under which the study is conducted may be so specific that they do not reflect real-life complexities. This trade-off arises because increased attempts to isolate the effects of the independent variable might overlook natural variability and interactions found in broader populations or settings.

Thus, it can be understood that if a study’s internal validity rises to a high level, there is often a corresponding decrease in its external validity. This dynamic illustrates the inherent challenge in designing research that aims to achieve both high internal and external validity simultaneously. Therefore, the correct assertion highlights this inverse relationship between these two types of validity.