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Validity is about whether the measurement actually captures what it is supposed to measure and thus reflects the real concept the study aims to understand. If a study on social class uses a single question like “Do you own a car?” to gauge class, the results may be reliable (consistent) but not valid, because car ownership doesn’t fully or accurately represent class. A valid measure would combine several indicators (income, education, occupation, lifestyle) to truly reflect the concept.

Reliability, by contrast, is about consistency—getting similar results if the study is repeated—without guaranteeing that those results are measuring the right thing. Representativeness concerns whether the sample mirrors the population, affecting generalizability rather than the accuracy of the measurement itself. Objectivity is about minimizing researcher bias, not about whether the measurement corresponds to the intended reality.