What measure of reliability indicates that two or more observers noted the same behavior or event?

Inter-observer agreement is a measure of reliability that reflects the degree to which different observers report the same observations when assessing the same behavior or event. This concept is crucial because it ensures that data collected are consistent and objective, which strengthens the validity of the conclusions drawn from that data.

The measure of inter-observer agreement is typically calculated by comparing the observations made by different individuals to determine how often they coincide. A high level of agreement suggests that the observers have a shared understanding of the behaviors or events being measured, which is particularly important in fields like music therapy, where subjective interpretations can vary significantly between practitioners.

In contrast, test-retest reliability focuses on the consistency of the same observer's measurements across different time periods, while split-half reliability evaluates the internal consistency of a test by comparing results from two halves of the same test. Intra-observer agreement assesses the consistency of a single observer's measurements over time. Each of these measures serves different purposes in the evaluation of reliability and is not aimed specifically at assessing agreement between multiple observers like inter-observer agreement does.