Final answer:
The term for applying standards to ensure consistent measurements is standardization, which is distinct from reliability (consistent results) and validity (accurate measurement of the intended subject). The correct option is C).
Step-by-step explanation:
The application of certain standards to ensure consistency across different measurements is known as standardization.
Standardization is a vital component in various fields to guarantee that measurements are consistent and comparable, whether it be in a scientific laboratory setting or in everyday scenarios such as the amount of gasoline pumped at a service station.
It involves administering, scoring, and interpreting results in a uniform manner. While reliability refers to the consistency of a measure, ensuring that a measure produces the same results given the same circumstances, standardization is the process that establishes the conditions for reliability.
Through standardization, we can maintain quality and accuracy across different instances of the same measurement, ensuring that all participants, subjects, or products are evaluated equally.
This is different from validity, which relates to how well an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure, and generalizability, which refers to the extent to which findings from a study can be applied to broader contexts. Option C) is the correct one.