Personality Assessment Flashcards
The process by which an individual’s thoughts, behaviors, values, identity, and worldview develop in relation to the general thinking, behavior, customs, and values of a particular cultural group
Acculturation
A test response style characterized by agreement with whatever is presented
Acquiescence
The standard against which a test or a test score is evaluated; this standard may take many forms, including a specific behavior or set of behaviors
Criterion
A reference group of testtakers who share characteristics and whose responses to test items serve as a standard by which items will be included or discarded from the final version of a scale; the shared characteristic of the criterion group will vary as a function of the nature and scope of the test being developed
Criterion group
The process of using criterion groups to develop test items, wherein the scoring or keying of items has been demonstrated empirically to differentiate among groups of testtakers
Empirical criterion keying
Less than accurate rating or evaluation by a rater or judge due to that rater’s general tendency to make ratings at or near the midpoint of the scale; contrast with generosity error and severity error
Error of central tendency
A type of item sometimes used in personality tests wherein each of two or more choices has been predetermined to be equal in social desirability
Forced-choice format
In the context of item format, aspects of the focus of the item such as the time frame (past, present, or future)
Frame of reference
Less than accurate rating or evaluation by a rater due to that rater’s general tendency to be lenient or insufficiently critical; also referred to as leniency error; contrast with severity error
Generosity error
A type of rating error wherein the rater views the object of the rating with extreme favor and tends to bestow ratings inflated in a positive direction; a set of circumstances resulting in a rater’s tendency to be positively disposed and insufficiently critical
Halo effect
(1) A process by which an individual assumes a pattern of behavior that is characteristic of other people; (2) thoughts, feelings, or behavior on the part of one person that resonates in some familiar way with the experiences of another person
Identification
A set of cognitive and behavioral characteristics by which individuals define themselves as members of a particular group; one’s sense of self
Identity
An approach to assessment characterized by efforts to learn about each individual’s unique constellation of personality traits, with no attempt to characterize each person according to any particular set of traits; contrast with nomothetic
Idiographic approach
Attempting to manipulate others’ opinions and impressions through the selective exposure of some information, including false information, usually coupled with the suppression of other information; in responding to self-report measures of personality, psychopathology, or achievement, impression management may be synonymous with attempts to “fake good” or “fake bad”
Impression management
Guiding principles in the attainment of some objective; for example, honesty and ambition
Instrumental values
An approach to test scoring and interpretation wherein the testtaker’s responses and the presumed strength of a measured trait are interpreted relative to the measured strength of other traits for that testtaker; contrast with class scoring and cumulative scoring
Ipsative scoring
One’s perception of the source of things that happen to one
Locus of control
An approach to assessment characterized by efforts to learn how a limited number of personality traits can be applied to all people; contrast with idiographic approach
Nomothetic approach
An individual’s unique constellation of psychological traits and states, including as-pects of values, interests, attitudes, worldview, acculturation, sense of personal identity, sense of humor, cognitive and behavioral styles, and related characteristics
Personality
The measurement and evaluation of psychological traits, states, values, interests, attitudes, worldview, acculturation, personal identity, sense of humor, cognitive and behavioral styles, and/or related individual characteristics
Personality assessment
A narrative description, graph, table, or other representation of the extent to which a person has demonstrated certain targeted characteristics as a result of the administration or application of tools of assessment
Profile
An assessment technique in which the task is to sort a group of statements, usually in perceived rank order ranging from “most descriptive” to “least descriptive”; the statements, traditionally presented on index cards, may be sorted in ways that reflect various perceptions, such as how respondents see themselves or would like to see themselves
Q-sort technique
A tendency to respond to a test item or interview question in some characteristic manner regardless of content; for example, an acquiescent response style (a tendency to agree) and a socially desirable response style (a tendency to present oneself in a favorable or socially desirable way)
Response style
One’s attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and related thoughts about oneself
Self-concept
An instrument designed to yield information about how an individual sees him- or herself with regard to selected psychological variables, the data from which are usually interpreted in the context of how others may see themselves on the same or similar variables
Self-concept measure
The process wherein an assessee supplies information about him- or herself in forms such as responding to questions, keeping a diary, or reporting on self-monitored thoughts and/or behaviors
Self-report
An item format characterized by bi-polar adjectives separated by a 7-point rating scale on which respondents select one point to indicate their response
Semantic differential technique
Less than accurate rating or error in evaluation due to the rater’s tendency to be overly critical; contrast with generosity error
Severity error
An interview purposely designed to pressure or stress the interviewee in order to gauge reaction to that stress
Stress interview
Guiding principles and a mode of behavior that are an end-point objective; for example, “a comfortable life” and “an exciting life”; contrast with instrumental values
Terminal values
Any distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual varies from another; contrast with state
Trait
As in personality type, a constellation of traits and states similar in pattern to one identified category of personality within a taxonomy of personalities
Type
In Friedman and Rosenman’s typology, a personality characterized by competitiveness, haste, restlessness, impatience, feelings of being time-pressured, and strong needs for achievement and dominance
Type A personality
In Friedman and Rosenman’s typology, a personality characterized by traits that are opposite of the Type A personality; “mellow” and “laid-back”
Type B personality
That which an individual prizes; ideals believed in
Values
A shorthand summary of a testtaker’s scores on the MMPI clinical and validity scales
Welsh code
The unique way people interpret and make sense of their perceptions in light of their learning experiences, cultural background, and related variables
Worldview
