MMPI Flashcards
how were the original items of the MMPI-2 developed?
empirical criterion keying: administering a large number of items to 8 clinical groups (hospital in-patients who received specific diagnoses) and 1 non-clinical control group
items that discriminated between clinical & control groups were included in the appropriate clinical scales
MMPI-2
Raw scores on the MMPI-2 are converted to T-scores that have a mean of ____ and standard deviation of ____.
50; 10
on the MMPI-2, T-scores of ____ and above are considered clinical significant, while scores near ____ are considered normal and, for some scales, low scores under ____ or ____ may have clinical meaning.
- T-scores of 65 and above
- scores near 50 are considered normal
- low scores near 35 to 40 may have clinical meaning
MMPI-2
Widiger and Samuel (2005) propose what is the best strategy for diagnosing personality disorders when using the MMPI-2 (or other self-report inventory)
1) combine it with a semistructured clinical interview
2) begin with the self-report inventory to identify which personality disorders should be emphasized during the interview
MMPI-2
match the MMPI-2 the descriptions with the correct clinical scale
A) social alienation & disinhibition
B) anxiety & excessive fear & doubt
C) preoccupation with physical complaints
D) unstable mood & hyperarousal
E) stress & conflicts expressed as physical symptoms
F) psychosis & severe social & emotional alienation
G) social withdrawal & avoidance
H) stereotyped gender roles & interests
I) suspiciousness & i nterpersonal sensitivity
J) depression & hopelessness
clinical scales: Hs (Hypochondriasis), D (Depression), Hy (Hysteria), Pd (Psychopathic Deviate), Mf (Mascilinity/Femininity, Pa (Paranoia), Pt (Psychasthenia), Sc (Schizophrenia), Ma (Hypomania), or Si (Social Introversion)
A) Pd (Psychopathic Deviate)
B) Pt (Psychasthenia)
C) Hs (Hypochondriasis)
D) Ma (Hypomania)
E) Hy (Hysteria)
F) Sc (Schizophrenia)
G) Si (Social Introversion)
H) Mf (Mascilinity/Femininity
I) Pa (Paranoia)
J) D (Depression)
this term indicates the two scales that received the highest scores with the first number in the code being the scale with the higher score
two-point codes
a two-point code of 4-9 or 9-4 indicates that the examinee’s highest scores are on which 2 scales? List 4 mental health issues are associated with this two-point code
Psychopathic Deviate (4) & Hypomania (9)
* impulsive
* narcissistic
* antisocial
* substance abuse
a two-point code of 2-7 or 7-2 indicates that the examinee’s highest scores are on which 2 scales? List 4 mental health issues are associated with this two-point code.
Depression (2) & Psychasthenia (7)
This profile is common in psychiatric populations & is associated with:
* depression
* excessive worry
* agitation
* physical complaints.
list the 3 most common three-point codes
1) conversion V
2) psychotic V
3) neurotic triad
list the scales with elevated and/or lowered scores and the associated psychologocal problems for the conversion V (aka conversion valley)
elevated scales:
* 1 (Hypochondriasis)
* 3 (Hysteria)
lowered scales:
* 2 (Depression)
associated with the expression of psychological problems as somatic complaints
list the scales with elevated and/or lowered scores and the associated psychologocal problems for the psychotic V (aka paranoid valley)
elevated scales:
* 6 (Paranoia)
* 8 (Schizophrenia)
lowered scales:
* 7 (Psychasthenia)
associated with delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, & disordered thought
list the scales with elevated and/or lowered scores and the associated psychologocal problems for the neurotic triad
elevated scales:
* 1 (Hypochondriasis)
* 2 (Depression)
* 3 (Hysteria)
associated with depression, somatic complaints, interpersonal & work-related problems, & general dissatisfaction
list the 9 MMPI-2 validity scales
- L (Lie)
- K (Defensiveness/Correction)
- F (Infrequency)
- Fb (F Back[side])
- Fp (Infrequency/Psychopathology)
- S (Superiative Self-Presentation)
- VRN (Variable Response Inconsistency)
- TRIN (True Response Inconsistency)
- ? (Cannot Say)
interpretation for elevated scores on the following scales:
* VRIN
* TRIN
* ? (Cannot Say)
VRIN (detects random responding): invalid profile (responded inconsistently to pairs of items with similar or opposite content)
TRIN (detects fixed pattern of responding, e.g., yea- or nay-saying): invalid profile (answered pairs of items that have opposite content in the same way)
? (Cannot Say) (total number of unscorable item, e.g., double-marked or unanswered): reading problem, confusion, poor insight, or lack of cooperation
interpretation for elevated scores on the following scales:
* F
* Fb
* Fp
F (overreporting of sxs, e.g., infrequent responses in gen pop): faking bad, excessive eccentricity, resistance to testing, significant pathology, or random responding
Fb (overreporting of sxs on last 197 items): faking bad, random responding due to boredom, fatigue, or loss of interest
Fp (overreporting sxs, e.g., infrequent responses in psychiatric pop): exaggeration of sxs or severe pathology or distress
interpretation of elevated scores on the following scales:
* L
* K
* S
L (underreporting of sxs): faking good, self-righteousness, denial, or poor insight
K (underreporting of symptoms in more subtle way than L scale & corrects scores on several clinical scales): faking good, defensiveness, denial, poor insight, & may resist psychological evaluation & treatment
S (tendency to present oneself in highly virtuous way while denying problems): defensiveness in one or more of 5 areas & belief in human goodness, serenity, contentment with life, patience/denial of irritability, denial of moral flaws
when interpreting validity scales on the MMPI-2, what do elevated scores on both F and VRIN suggest?
the examinee answered items in a random way (both scales measure this type of responding)
when interpreting validity scales on the MMPI-2, what does an elevated score on F and a low score on VRIN suggest?
the examinee has endorsed items that indicate actual or faked psychopathology
when interpreting validity scales on the MMPI-2, what does an elevated scores on L and K and a low score on F suggest?
an attempt to present oneself in a favorable light
for parents undergoing custody evaluations, this pattern of responding is associated with parental alienation syndrome, which occurs when 1 parent attempts to turn the children against the other parent
on the MMPI-2-RF, what do the following scales restructured clinical (RC) scales assess:
* higher-order (H-O) scales
* specific problem (SP) scales
* personality psychopathology five (PSY-5) scales
H-O scales assess broad areas of psychological dysfunction
SP scales assess aspects of functioning not fully addressed by RC, H-O, and PSY-5 scales
PSY-5 scales: assess potential abnormal personality symptomatology across the following areas:
* Aggressiveness (AGGR)
* Psychoticism (PSYC)
* Disconstraint (DISC)
* Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism (NEGE)
* Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality (INTR)
- AGGR is a measure of instrumental aggression, used for intimidation or goal attainment, and not of aggression in response to actions by others (high scores assoc. with antisocial personality disorder)
- DISC measures risk taking, impulsivity, and a lack of regard for rules and obligations (high scores assoc. with antisocial behavior & substance use; stronger correlation with antisocial PD than elevations on AGGR scale)
- PSYC, NEGE, & INTR are measures of negative affect, psychopathology, & personality disorder sxs and dx (high scores on PSYC & NEGE assoc. with unstable work history in forensic evals; combinations of high PSCY & NEGE assoc. with paranoid, schizotypal, & borderline PD)
validity & clinical scales differences between MMPI-2 vs. MMPI-2-RF, & MMPI-3
MMPI-2: 9 validity & 10 clinical scales
MMPI-2-RF: 10 clinical scales along with additional validity & substantive scales for a more detailed analysis
MMPI-3: 10 clinical scales along with new scales for more updated assessment
MMPI-A is most similar to which other MMPI measure? What is the age range for the MMPI-A?
- MMPI-2
- adolescents 14 to 18 years old
MMPI-A-RF is a me
