Objective personality tests Flashcards
Personality def
A person’s unique and usual pattern of behavior, feelings and thoughts
Content of personality: (3)
Behavior, Affect, Cognition
Personality Traits def
Relatively enduring dispositions to act, think, or feel in a certain manner in any given circumstance and that distinguish one person from another.
Multivariate historical tradition of personality
To understand personality of individuals, you have to consider all personality traits as one. (A person cannot be described with only one trait)
=> NEO-PR, as other personality tests, follows from multivariate approach
Structure of traits
Identification of significant dimensions (attributes) along which individuals vary from one another
-> Characterize the covariation among these personality attributes among individuals
Lexical tradition of personality
Most important traits represented by single words. Origin of NEO-PR relies on lexical tradition.
Lexical hypothesis
If an idea is important for pple, they’ll have a word that will express this concept.
-> The more important the concept, the more word exist for this concept
How do we prove lexical hypothesis?
Factor analysis used to synthesize dictionary information.
Goal = Identify the smallest number of factors or groups of adjectives that represent the widest variety of adjectives in the language
Are Big Five Distinct Categories or a Continuum?
Continuum.
-> Labels are used categorically; the leave behind important information
-> Labels apply more strongly to those at the extreme ends
NEO: Construction (history)
- 1978: Included only 3 factors - N, E, O (no scales for A and C) and 18 facets
- 1985: A and C added: First NEO-PR
- 1992 manual: Facet scales available for all factors + Included the short version (NEO-FFI) + Rational Scale Construction (supported by factor analysis)
NEO-PI-R - Psychometric properties: Reliability -Internal consistency
Traits: .86-.92
Facets: .56-.81 -> Cuz fewer items to measure each of the facets (normal range)
NEO-PI-R - Psychometric properties: Test-retest reliability
High but bit weaker as time interval extends.
- 3 month → .75-.83
- 6-year N,E,O → .68-.83
- 3-year A,C → .63 & .79
NEO-PI-R - Psychometric properties: Convergent Validity
Self-spouse agreement (2 forms of NEO-PR: Self and Other rated)
N,E,O,A,C → .60, .73, .65, .62, .63: Moderate to large convergent validity
NEO-PI-R - Psychometric properties: Discriminant Validity
Sometimes scales are NOT independent (C & A)!
Latest version of the test? Date & characteristics
NEO-PI-3. Published in 2005.
- 240 items, description of behaviors rated on 5-point scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
- Age range: **14-99 **(norms for adolescents)
In NEO-PI, raw scores converted to ______
T-scores (M=50, SD=10)
Application of NEO-PI (2)
(1) Mostly research on basic personality
(2) Limited usefulness in clinical or other applied settings
NEO-PI issues (2)
(1) Aquiescence: Tentency to agree with statements
-> Half reverse keyed items
(2) Social desirability: Tendency to portray self in a socially desirable way - Construct validity problem
What’s NEO-PI’s recommendation to combat acquiescence bias?
If more than 150 items are ‘agree or strongly agee’ profile must be interpreted with caution.
NEO-PI-R Interpretation
Test of NORMAL personality, not psychopathology. BUT Research on how combination of scores → psychopathology
- E.g. Paranoid can be identified by very HIGH neuroticism, LOW extraversion, LOW openness, LOW agreeableness
MMPI: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory def
Self-report measure to aid in the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.
=> The most used and thoroughly researched personality test since 1960s
=> Consistent with then common psychiatric perspectives on abnormal personality characteristics
MMPI first published in ____. Current version = ___
Early 1940s; MMPI-3 (2020)
MMPI: How were the Original Clinical scales made? characteristics & approach (3)
- Empirical approach.
- Final item pool = 550 sample items
- Response scale: True or False or Cannot say
- Primary normative sample = 724 Minnesota “normals”
General steps in Development of most clinical scales
Empirical approach
Choose 2 groups.
- Administer item pool to large group: psychiatric & normative
- Select a diagnostic group
- Compare endorsement for each item of selected group to normative group