Measures of Personality

Question 1

Personality tests measure emotional, social, and personal traits and behaviors and are categorized as either _______________ or _______________.

Answer 1

• Structured
• Projective

Question 2

Structured Personality Test Construction - __________________: Test items are derived on the basis of reason and deductive logic, which may or may not be guided by a theory of personality (e.g., Edwards Personal Preference Schedule).

Answer 2

Logical Content Method.

Question 3

Structured Personality Test Construction - __________________: Items are chosen to measure the construct(s) identified by a specific personality theory, and construct validation procedures are used to ensure that the test is consistent with the theory (e.g., Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, derived from Jung’s personality theory).

Answer 3

Theoretical Method.

Question 4

Structured Personality Test Construction - __________________: Proposed test items are administered to appropriate criterion groups, and items that distinguish between groups are included in the test (e.g., MMPI original clinical scales, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory).

Answer 4

Empirical Criterion Keying.

Question 5

Structured Personality Test Construction - __________________: This entails administering a large pool of items to a group of examinees, factor analyzing the intercorrelations of items to identify underlying factors (traits), assigning labels to the identified factors, and including items in the test so that each factor is adequately assessed (e.g., Cattell’s Sixteen Peronality Factor Questionnaire, the NEO Peronality Inventory).

Answer 5

Factor Analysis.

Question 6

MMPI Scale 1 - ________________________: Preoccupation with physical symptoms.

Answer 6

Hypochondriasis (Hs).

Question 7

MMPI Scale 2 - ________________________: Depression, hopelessness, dissatisfaction with self.

Answer 7

Depression (D).

Question 8

MMPI Scale 3 - ________________________: Repression, denial, immaturity, somatic complaints.

Answer 8

Hysteria (Hy).

Question 9

MMPI Scale 4 - ________________________: Antisocial behaviors, rebelliousness, social alienation.

Answer 9

Psychopathic Deviate (Pd).

Question 10

MMPI Scale 5 - ________________________: Stereotypic masculine or feminine interests.

Answer 10

Masculinity-Femininity (Mf).

Question 11

MMPI Scale 6 - ________________________: Paranoia, cynicism, interpersonal sensitivity.

Answer 11

Paranoia (Pa).

Question 12

MMPI Scale 7 - ________________________: Anxiety, obsessions, compulsions.

Answer 12

Psychasthenia (Pt).

Question 13

MMPI Scale 8 - ________________________: Psychosis, unusual thought processes, social alienation.

Answer 13

Schizophrenia (Sc).

Question 14

MMPI Scale 9 - ________________________: Unstable mood, impulsivity, grandiosity, flight of ideas.

Answer 14

Hypomania (Ma).

Question 15

MMPI Scale 0 - ________________________: Shyness, social withdrawal/avoidance.

Answer 15

Social Introversion (Si).

Question 16

The MMPI-2 (published 1989) is for individuals aged ___ and older, and requires a reading level of between ___ and ___ grade.

Answer 16

• 18
• 5th and 8th

Question 17

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• A high score indicates the examinee’s attempt to present him/herself in a favorable light or the examinee’s lack of insight into his/her own motivation, and is associated with a reduced ability to benefit from psychotherapy.
• A low score suggests frankness in responding, exaggeration of negative characteristics, or independence.

Answer 17

L (Lie).

Question 18

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• A high score indicates that the examinee has responded in a deviant or atypical manner and suggest an attempt to “fake bad,” deliberate malingering, gross eccentricity, significant pathology, random responding, or responding to all items as either true or false.
• A low score may indicate an attempt to “fake good,” a tendency toward social conformity, denial of problems, or an absence of significant psychopathology.
• A T-score of 100 or higher suggests and invalid profile.

Answer 18

F (Frequency).

Question 19

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• A high score indicates a high degree of defensiveness or denial, a desire to “fake good,” or responding “false” to all itmes and is associated with resistance and poor treatment prognosis.
• A very low score suggests excessive frankness, self-criticism, or a desire to “fake bad.”
• This scale is considered to be a “suppressor variable,” since scores correlate with defensiveness, education level, and SES, which are unrelated to what is measured by the clinical scales but impact scores on those scales.

Answer 19

K (Correction).

Question 20

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• A high score suggests reading difficulties, indecisiveness, distractibility, rebelliousness, or defensiveness.
• Thirty or more items may indicate an invalid profile.

Answer 20

Cannot Say (?).

Question 21

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________: This scale is used to identify an attempt to “fake bad” on the last 197 items of the test and is interpreted similarly to the F scale.

Answer 21

F Back (Fb).

Question 22

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• This scale is a measure of consistency in responding and consists of paired items that would be expected to be answered in the same direction.
• An elevated score (T = 80+) suggests an invalid profile.

Answer 22

Variable Response Inconsistency (VRIN).

Question 23

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• This scale consists of paired items that are the oposite of each other.
• It provides an additional measure of consistency in responding and is interpreted in the same way as the VRIN Scale.

Answer 23

True Response Inconsistency (TRIN).

Question 24

MMPI Validity Scale - _________________________:

• This scale consists of items that were infrequently endorsed by psychiatric patients.
• A high score indicates an attempt to “fake bad” even if the examinee is a psychiatric patient.

Answer 24

Infrequency-Pathology (Fp).

Question 25

The _____________________________ is the most recent revision of the MMPI; its 338 items were derived from the MMPI-2 item pool. It is an alternative (not a replacement) for the MMPI-2, and provides scores on nine restructured clinical (RC) scales, eight validity scales, and a number of additional scales.

Answer 25

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form.

Question 26

On the MMPI-2, raw scores on each scale are converted to T-scores that have a mean of ___ and standard deviation of ___; a T-score of ___ or higher is considered clinically significant.

Answer 26

• 50
• 10
• 65

Question 27

When scores on the ___, ___, and ___ scales assume a V-shaped pattern, this suggests an attemt to “fake good,” and has been a common pattern for child custody litigants - esp. those exhibiting “parental alienation syndrome.”

Answer 27

L, F, and K.

Question 28

An extremely elevated ___ scale score with a high value on the _____ index (+9) suggests an attempt to “fake bad” and has been linked to malingering.

Answer 28

• F
• F-K

Question 29

Malingering is also suggested when __ and __ Scale scores are around 50, the __ Scale is slightly elevated, and the clinical score profile is “__________________.”

Answer 29

• L and K
• F
• “Saw-toothed”

Question 30

A very elevated ___ Scale score and high scores (T > 65) on most clinical scales suggests random responding.

Answer 30

F.

Question 31

When an examinee answers “________” to all items, L and K scale scores are below 50 and the F scale score and clinical scale scores on the right side of the profile (6-9) are very elevated. When an examinee answers “__________” to all items, scores on all three validity scales and clinical scale scores on the left side of the profile (1-5) are elevated.

Answer 31

• True
• False

Question 32

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Depression, worry, pessimism, hypochondriasis.

Answer 32

1-2/2-1.

Question 33

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Apathy, depression, anxiety, psychosomatic complaints, immaturity.

Answer 33

2-3/3-2.

Question 34

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Depression, hopelessness, extreme sensitivity to criticism, paranoia.

Answer 34

2-6/6-2.

Question 35

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Agitated depression, bipolar disorder, psychosomatic complaints.

Answer 35

2-9/9-2.

Question 36

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Passive-aggressive, anger, poor insight, poor impulse control.

Answer 36

3-4/4-3.

Question 37

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Hostile, distrustful, resentful, immature, manipulative.

Answer 37

4-6/6-4.

Question 38

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Impulsive, narcissistic, antisocial behavior, substance abuse.

Answer 38

4-9/9-4.

Question 39

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Psychosis, significant emotional turmoil, poor social adjustment.

Answer 39

7-8/8-7.

Question 40

MMPI-2 Codetype ___/___: Egocentrism, grandiosity.

Answer 40

9-0/0-9.

Question 41

The “Neurotic Triad” (a.k.a. the “________________”) involves elevation of scales ___ and ___, significantly higher than scale ___. It is associated with somatization of psychological problems, lack of insight, and chronic pain that has an organic basis.

Answer 41

• “Conversion V”
• 1 and 3
• 2

Question 42

The “Paranoid Valley” (a.k.a. “________________”) is evidenced by elevations of scales ___ and ___ substantially higher than scale ___, and is associated with delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thought.

Answer 42

• “Psychotic V”
• 6 and 8
• 7

Question 43

The __________________ (EPPS) is:

• Based on Murray’s personality theory, which distinguishes between 15 basic needs
• Contains 225 items
• Is forced-choice formatted, which helps control socially-desirable responding
• Yields ipsative scores, which permit a comparison of the relative strengths of the 15 needs within an individual examinee, but not the absolute strengths

Answer 43

Edwards Personal Preference Schedule.

Question 44

Cattell’s ________________________________ (16 PF) was constructed on the basis of factor analysis, which identified 16 primary personality traits (e.g., reserved vs. warm-hearted, trusting vs. suspicious).

Answer 44

Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire.

Question 45

The _________________________ (NEO-PI-3) and its predecessors were developed by Costa and McCrae (1985) to assess the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and opennes to experience).

Answer 45

NEO Personality Inventory-3.

Question 46

The ______________________ (MBTI) is based on the work of Carl Jung and describes personality in terms of four bipolar dimensions:

• (I, E) ________________/________________
• (S, N) _______________/________________
• (T, F) _______________/_________________
• (J, P) _______________/_________________

Answer 46

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Introversion/Extraversion
• Sensing/Intuition
• Thinking/Feeling
• Judging/Perceiving

Question 47

The _______________________ (MCMI-III) is used to assist in diagnosing DSM Axis I and Axis II disorders, is appropriate for individuals ages 18 and older (the ___________________ [MACI] is for examinees ages 13:0 to 19:11).

Answer 47

• Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III
• Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory

Question 48

_______________ personality tests share the following characteristics:

• Their use is based on the assumption that ambiguous and unstructured stimuli can elicit meaningful information about an examinee’s personality and underlying conflicts (referred to as the ___________________)
• They are generally less susceptible than structured tests to “faking” and response sets
• They tend to reveal more unconscious, global aspects of one’s personality

Answer 48

• Projective
• Projective hypothesis

Question 49

The Rorschach Inkblot Test can be administered to people ages ___ and older.

Answer 49

2.

Question 50

The administration of the Rorschach involves two phases: the ____________________ phase and the ____________ phase.

Answer 50

• Free association
• Inquiry

Question 51

Development of the _________________________ (TAT) was based on Henry Murray’s Theory of Needs; the examinee is asked to make up a story about each picture and to include info. about what is happening in the picture, what led up to that situation, how the people feel, and how the story ends.

Answer 51

Thematic Apperception Test.