Personality assessment Flashcards
Personality
Personality refers to consistent patterns of behaviour, thoughts, and emotions that are relatively stable over time and contexts. These patterns encompass a wide range of traits and attributes, making personality assessment relevant in fields like personality, developmental, and social psychology.
What is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
The MMPI is one of the world’s most widely used personality tests designed for clinical assessment and other purposes like employment screening.
It is empirical.
What is the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) designed for?
The CPI is similar to the MMPI but is intended for use with “normal” or nondisturbed individuals.
What are omnibus inventories in personality testing?
Omnibus inventories measure a wide range of personality traits. For example, the NEO Personality Inventory measures five broad traits along with 30 subscales.
How do intelligence tests (IQ tests) gather data?
Intelligence tests, like IQ tests, yield B data by asking questions with specific correct answers, such as reasoning or math problems.
What is the term used for tests based on B data?
Tests based on B data are sometimes called “performance-based” instruments, which include the MMPI, IQ tests, and projective tests.
What is the projective hypothesis in personality testing
The projective hypothesis suggests that responses to ambiguous stimuli, like inkblots, reveal hidden aspects of a person’s mind and needs.
How are responses to projective tests, like the Rorschach inkblot test, interpreted
Responses to projective tests are interpreted based on what the client sees, and these interpretations can reveal insights into the individual’s personality.
What are some examples of projective tests
Examples of projective tests include the Rorschach inkblot test, the Draw-A-Person test, and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
What are the limitations of projective tests?
Projective tests are expensive and have limited research data on their validity, which has led to debates about their continued use in psychology.
What distinguishes objective tests from projective tests?
Objective tests consist of questions answered with Yes/No, True/False, or numeric scales and are more straightforward than projective tests.
Is the term “objective” fully justified for objective tests?
The term “objective” can be misleading because even objective test questions may have varying interpretations, making them less than completely objective.
Why might ambiguity in objective test questions not be a flaw?
Some ambiguity in objective test questions allows for individual differences in interpretation and can make responses more informative about personality.
How are commonality scales used in personality testing?
Commonality scales, like the one in the California Psychological Inventory, identify responses that most people answer the same way and can reveal non-ambiguous items that respondents find easy to answer.
Why are objective personality tests often lengthy?
Objective tests include numerous questions to increase reliability through aggregation, helping to obtain more stable and reliable results.
What is the primary challenge in constructing reliable objective tests?
The key challenge is to write and select the right questions, as the validity of objective tests depends on their content.
What is the rational method in test construction?
The rational method involves creating test items that are directly, obviously, and rationally related to the trait being measured.
What are the four conditions that must hold for a rationally constructed test to be valid?
The four conditions are: (1) The meaning of each item should be consistent for respondents, (2) respondents must accurately self-assess, (3) respondents should be willing to report accurately, and (4) all items must be valid indicators of what is being measured.
Do most rationally constructed personality tests meet all four criteria?
No, most rationally constructed personality tests fail to meet all four criteria for validity.
What is an example of a rationally constructed personality test question?
“How healthy are you?” is an example of a question that might be found in a rationally constructed personality test.
Acquiescence bias
Participants tend to agree or discrete with items regardless of their content
Deviation bias
Participants tend to respond in a very unusual unexpected way
Social desirability bias
Participants respond In a way to present themselves in more favourable light
Extreme responding
Participants respond in a more extreme way than others