Midterm ( Self Report Assessment) Flashcards
Personality Assessment is a ____ contribution of psychologists
unique
Nomothetic
That part of variance in a quality that is shared by people
Idiographic
That part of variance that is unique to the individual
Objective Test refers to:
(Traditionally)
- Structured stimulus (a specific statement)
- A limited set of externally provided answers (True/False, Likert scale)
- Does not rely on scorer’s judgment (scored according to key)
Non-objective aspects of “objective” tests include:
- Test taker/rater’s willingness to be honest (malingering, etc)
- Test taker/rater ability to be honest (lack of self knowledge, response styles; Halo effects and Scapegoating effects)
- Imperfections in the tests (ambiguity, psychometrics, etc.)
Another term for “Objective Test” is
“Self-Report Test”
“Objective Test”/”Self-Report Test” usually rely on the patient, but may involve data from:
- Parent questionnaire
- Spousal rating scale
- Teacher questionnaire
- Etc.
Projective Tests refers to:
(Traditionally)
- Ambiguous stimulus or activity (E.g., inkblot)
- Test-taker generates a response with minimal external guidance
- In responding the test-taker projects or puts forward elements of their habits, personality
- Interpretation requires subjectivity
Rorschach Inkblot Method would fit the classical definition of ________ test.
Projective
(ambiguity, infinite answers)
Scoring the Rorschach involves ________ classification and ____-____ styles more than projection.
- Stimulus
- Problem-solving
It has been argued that Rorschach scoring strictly limits __________.
Subjectivity
The two types of projective tests are ________ and ________.
- Purely projective tests - rely exclusively on projection (House-Tree-Person, Thematic Apperception Test, Roberts Picture Story, etc.)
- Performance-based personality tests - which have substantial nomothetic aspects (Rorschach, Wartegg Drawing Completion Test, Adult Attachment Projective)
Attributes of a Good Test:
- Clear instructions for administering, scoring, and interpreting
- Efficient use (incremental validity)
- Accurate: Reliability–consistency & Validity–measures what it purports to measure
Purposes of Personality Assessment:
- To describe current functioning
- To confirm, refute or modify impressions
- To identify therapeutic needs
- To aid in differential diagnosis
- To monitor treatment
- To manage risk
- As an effective short-term therapeutic intervention.
To guard against bias / human thinking errors
Best defenses against inaccurate conclusions:
Using valid & reliable measures
-Which guard against bias/blind spots
Multi-Method Assessment
-Using multiple methods of measuring
-Blend the various strengths and weaknesses every instrument inevitably has
Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment
Reasons NOT to do Assessment
- When reaching beyond our own limits
- When invading a person’s privacy
- When collecting data too limited to support the conclusions we draw
- When the data will be misused
- When over-generalizing
- When inefficient use of limited financial resources.
- When feedback will not be provided (except in certain circumstances).
What is personality?
“An individual’s unique constellation of psychological traits and states”
What are traits?
Relatively enduring ways in which one person varies from another
-Somewhat situation-dependent and not perfectly consistent
What are states?
temporary characteristics
(unlike traits which are enduring)
Per Meyer & Erdberg (2017), personality is:
- a bio-psycho-social construct
- the relatively stable set of attitudes and behaviors that makes each person unique
- the product of a complex interaction of nature, nurture, and context
Per Meyer & Erdberg (2017), personality disorders are:
- are the maladaptive extremes of normal personality characteristics –
- “…deviate markedly from expectation of an individual’s culture…”
Mischel’s (1968, 1994) stance in the States vs Traits debate:
Traits are not very important determinants of behavior; rather the context of the behavior is most important
Bandura’s (1986) stance in the States vs Traits debate:
Trait theorists neglect the functionality of a behavior in a particular situation (reinforcement, etc.)
Wachtel’s stance in the States vs Traits debate:
Traits are important; differing experiences cause people to see similar situations differently (or different situations similarly); traits can influence the kinds of situations we put ourselves in
Underlying Assumptions in Assessment:
- Traits and states do exist
- Traits and states can be quantified and measured
- Various approaches to measuring aspects of the same thing are a vital part of the assessment process (Multi-Method)
- Assessment can provide insight into important issues that are not efficiently available otherwise
- Various sources of error are part of the assessment process
- Tests and other measurement techniques all have strengths and weaknesses
- Test-related behavior predicts non-test-related behavior
- Present day behavior sampling predicts future behavior
- Testing and assessment can be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner
- Testing and assessment benefit individuals and society
Personality Dimensions:
The NEO-PI Assesses the “Big 5” (Costa and McCrae, 1978)
Neuroticism Extraversion Openness to experience Personality Inventory
- Neuroticism
- Extraversion
- Openness to Experience
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
Generally, ________ are out of favor and the focus today on patterns of ________ and ________, which offers much more precision and accuracy
- “types”
- states and traits
Performance-based personality assessment methods include:
- Sentence completion
- Inkblot
- Picture stories
- Drawings
Behavioral personality assessment methods include:
- actual exercises
- behavioral observation
- role play
- physiological methods
Self Report personality assessment methods include:
- True/False
- Likert scale
- Forced choice
- Adjective Checklist
- Q-sort technique
Rational items are written to capture understanding of what a trait is. Characteristics:
Methods of Self-Report Test Construction
- Tend to be face valid
- Susceptible to response biases (easily faked)
- May not be internally consistent or valid
Factorial items are selected on the basis of factor analysis. Characteristics:
Methods of Self-Report Test Construction
- Highly internally consistent
- Tend to be face valid
- Somewhat susceptible to response bias
Empirical items are selected on their ability to empirically distinguish one group from another. Characteristics:
Methods of Self-Report Test Construction
- Often have low internal consistency
- Often items are not face valid
- May be less susceptible to response biases
3 Methods of Self-Report Test Construction:
- Rational
- Factorial
- Empirical
Using statistical methods to derive algorithms (i.e., MMPI) for decision-making is ________ to clinical decision-making
Dawes, Faust, and Meehl (1989) “Clinical Versus Actuarial Judgment“
superior
Humans do have superior observational skills but better to enter them into decision-making algorithm.
Nature of some errors in clinical judgment:
APA Report, June 1998, “Benefits and Costs of psychological assessment i
- Confirmation bias
- Pathologizing deviation from average
- Overconfidence
- Hindsight bias
- Confusing horses and zebras
The assessment process provides some checks on potential errors by:
Staying true to data forces accommodatidation of conflicting data
Integrating seemingly conflicting data:
* Consider the nature of various types of data (symptoms, objective, projective, interpersonally gathered vs solitary, etc.)
* Consider reliability and validity
* Consider the peculiarities of measures
* Consider the motivational and environmental circumstances of testing
* Test results must be reconciled with history
* Understanding must be integrated with assessor’s understanding of complex conditions being assessed
Corrective strategies one can use to avoid potential erros in assessment:
- Identify characteristics of relivant condition
- Look for characteristics in tests
- Revise hypothesis with novel data
- Don’t hunt for zebras
- Use empirically validated, statistically derived predictions when available
- Anticipate making mistakes
Feedback from the client can be a powerful ____________ to avoyd assessment errors.
corrective mechanism
The problems with relying on judgement instead of statistical rules include:
- Decision rules do not generalize well to different settings
- There are no decision rules for the vast majority of decisions that must be made (infinite complexity prohibits relying on rules)
Clinical judgment can sometimes be as ________ as statistical decision rules, but it never ________ them.
- good
- exceeds
When it comes to decision making, actuarial algorithms are ________ than clinical judgment.
better
When it comes to decision making, actuarial algorithms are ____ than clinical judgment.
Better
Clinical intuition is very __________.
(but we tend to ignore this fact)
fallible
Hale prefers “diversity” to Multiculturalism, because:
- Diversity is broader
- It focuses on the individual (idiographic)
(which is more appropriate in clinical work) - It better guards against stereotyping
Central to any assessment is understanding and considering the unique environment in which the individual lives:
Diversity Considerations
- Language
- Non-Verbal Communications
- Cultural Influences
- Acculturation
- Belief Systems, Religious Upbringing, Etc.
- Conditioning History
- Disabilities, Physical Characteristics