A Researcher Uses Convenience Samples of 30 Parents of Critically

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important) . Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories.
-Based on the information provided, the ecological validity is:

A) Low-medium: the setting, tester, procedures, and time of the study are unnatural
B) Medium-high: a questionnaire is being used, but the setting and conditions are natural given the type of study
C) High: this is a natural setting, tester, procedure, and timing for the study
D) None of the above