Which term describes the extent to which research findings can be applied to the population?

The term that describes the extent to which research findings can be applied to the population is generalisation. When researchers conduct a study, they aim to draw conclusions that extend beyond the sample they studied to a larger population. Generalisation indicates how well the results can be applied to individuals or situations outside of the study parameters. For example, if a psychological experiment is conducted on a small group of college students, generalisation would assess how applicable those findings are to all college students or even the general population.

In contrast, validity refers to the accuracy of a study in measuring what it intends to measure. Reliability indicates the consistency of a measure, ensuring that repeated studies would yield similar results. Transferability often relates to qualitative research and is concerned with the extent to which findings can be transferred to other contexts or settings but does not specifically address broader population applications like generalisation does.