Personality Tests Flashcards
What was the case of Jodi Arias?
Accused of killing her boyfriend, claims BPD, was high on MMPI and found to be lying and was found guilty.
Why should we use multi method assessment?
Because no measure of personality or behaviour is perfect.
We can’t rely just on one test. It is best to use multiple methods (tests, interviews, observations)
The conclusions made from all these tests equate to convergent validity which gives more confiedence
What is evidence-based assessment based on?
What works empirically
What tests do clinicians who use evidence-based assessments use?
Tests with strong psychometrics (validity, reliability, clinical utility)
They typically use assessments tied to particular disorders (SCID and BDI-II for depression)
They have sufficient normative data and are sensitive to the issue of diversity such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
What challenges are contemporary clinical psychologists now facing with evidence-based assessments?
integrating “what works” empirically with their own clinical judgment and their clients’ needs as they make decisions about assessment.
every culture has its own definitions of…(2)
normal and abnormal
Why is it important to be culturally competent?
So we don’t overpathologize, don’t view what is culturally normal somewhere else in the world as abnormal here
What is an objective personality test include? (3)
- unambiguous test items (only interpret in one way)
- has a limited range of responses
- is objectively scored
What is a typical objective personality test like?
a self report questionnaire
a series of brief statements or questions to which clients respond T/F or MC
What are projective tests?
use ambiguous stimuli and open-ended range of responses
What is the assumption with projective tests?
that clients reveal their personality by the way they define vaguely dined objects/situations
What is the MMPI-2
The most popular and psychometrically sound objective personality test
When the MMPI was published in 1943 what criterion was used?
empirical criterion, not just theoretical criterion
How do you successfully construct a list by using empirical criterion keying? (3)
- Identify a distinct group of people (mental illness group) ask them to all respond to the same item, compare responses with a normal population
- If there is different responses from one group than the other, then it is a worthy item and should be included on the final version
- If the group answers similarly, then the item should be discarded because it does not help categorize a client
When empirical criterion keying is used, what matters and doesn’t matter?
it doesn’t matter whether an item should, in theory, differentiate two groups; it matters only whether an item does, in actuality, differentiate two groups
Why was the MMPI revised in 1989?
It has better norms and less outdated wording of items
On the MMPI there are 10 clinical scales, the higher you score on the scale the more likely you are too…
have that form of psychopathology
What is a feature of the MMPI often used for more specific aspects of personality and pathology?
supplemental and content scales
The MMPI also features validity scales to measure…
test taking attitudes to identify clients who fake good (appear healthier) or fake bad (appear impaired) or respond randomly
What are the 3 validity scales and what do they test?
L (Lying, suggesting “faking good”)
K (Defensiveness, also suggesting “faking good”)
F (Infrequency, suggesting “faking bad”)
What does the adolescent version of the MMPI target?
targets common teen ideas like school, family, peer relations and substance use
How do you interpret the MMPI?
notice the elevations
What do the more recent publications of the MMPI scale change?
made it briefer
less overlap
What are the strengths of the MMPI
psychometrics and comprehensiveness
What are the limitations to the MMPI? (5)
- length
- reading requirement
- attention requirement
- emphasis on pathology/abnormality
What was interesting about giving MMPI-2 feedback
it was therapeutic
Why might the feedback be therapeutic?
♣ Gain self-awareness and feel like they have a name for what is going on
♣ Can become an interactive discussion not a lecture
♣ Most effective when treatment is voluntary