Objective Personality Testing

1. Objective Personality Testing

2. Objective Personality Tests Material Covered 4 major approaches to test construction Examples of test based on first three test construction procedures Use of personality tests in modern clinical practice

3. Characteristics Objective Personality Tests Standard set of questions Fixed response options

4. Objective Personality Tests: Advantages Individual or groups (economical) Administration is simple/objective Scoring is simple/objective Interpretation of results requires less interpretative skill than projective tests Apparent increased objectivity and reliability

5. Objective Personality Tests: Disadvantages Items limited to behavior Single overall score Transparent meaning of items Forced choice approach

6. How are you feeling bookletsHow are you feeling booklets

7. Test Construction Approaches Logical or content validation Empirical Criterion Keying (MMPI) Factor Analysis (NEO Personality Inventory) Construct Validity (Combines all of the above)

8. Approaches to Test Construction: Content Validation Defining all aspects of the construct Consulting experts about the constructs Having expert judges assess each potential item Perform psychometric analyses of items . For example: depression: what are all the core symptoms of depression�consult experts in depression, have them assess the relevance of each item and then evaluate individual�s responses to the item. As an adjunct to his or her own log or intuition, the test developer frequently employs aids such as textbooks, clinical records, experimental data, and conversations with clooeagues.. For example: depression: what are all the core symptoms of depression�consult experts in depression, have them assess the relevance of each item and then evaluate individual�s responses to the item. As an adjunct to his or her own log or intuition, the test developer frequently employs aids such as textbooks, clinical records, experimental data, and conversations with clooeagues.

9. Content Validation: An Example Goal: Construct a test designed to measure attitudes toward school Answer true or false I enjoy getting up in the morning for school I like my teacher(s) I enjoy seeing my friends at school I enjoy the subjects I learn about at school

10. Content Validation: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Face validity with test takers Disadvantages Easy to fake good or bad

11. Content Validation: The Mooney Problem Checklist Assesses emotional functioning in the following areas: Home and family Interpersonal relationships Courtship and marriage Morals an religion School/occupation Economic security social skills and recreation Health and physical development

12. Approaches to Test Construction: Empirical Keying Create test items to measure on or more traits Administer test items to a �criterion� and �control� group Select items that distinguish between these two groups Content of the item is not considered important

13. Empirical Keying: Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory (MMPI) Developed in 1930�s Starke Hathaway Ph.D. & J. Charnley McKinley, MD. Needed test to identify diagnosis Developed an item pool Identified a group of patients and nonpatients Resulting scale of 550 items (true/false/cannot say)

14. MMPI Clinical Scales

15. MMPI: Validity Scales ? (Cannot say) Unanswered items L (Lie) Faking good F (Infrequency) Faking bad K (Defensiveness) Defensiveness in admitting to problems

16. Interpreting MMPI Validity Scales Single scales Profile analysis

18. MMPI: Shortcomings Unrepresentative normative sample Language of items was outdated (including sexist language) Inadequately addressed difficulties such as suicide or drug use

19. MMPI: Revision Assembled team of MMPI experts Rewrote some items Added new items Administered new item pool (n=704) to a standardization sample (representative) Retained 567 items from the item pool

20. MMPI-2 Clinical Scales Anxiety Fears Obsessiveness Depression Health Concerns Bizarre Thoughts Anger Cynicism Antisocial Practices Type A Low Self-Esteem Social Discomfort Family Problems Work Interference Negative Treatment Indicators

21. Approaches to Test Construction: Factor Analysis (Internal Consistency) Correlational technique used to determine whether a group of items are correlated with one another

22. Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) Based on five factor model of personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) Name derived from initials of the first three traits Assesses all five traits Emphasizes assessment of normal personality style rather than psychopathology Parallel forms

23. Approaches to Test Construction: Construct Validity Combines aspects of content validity, empirical criterion keying and factor analytic approaches in developing assessment devises (Clark and Watson, 1995)

24. The Place of Personality Assessment in Contemporary Clinical Psychology Or Why do we use these tests?

25. Psychological Assessment: Purpose (Textbook Response) Classification (diagnosis) Description Prediction

26. Classification Results from psychological testing assists in making a diagnosis Critics of psych testing- tests are not reliable or valid diagnostic instruments Defenders: test information is used in conjunction with other clinical data

27. Description

28. Prediction Test findings can be used to make predictions about behavior Whether client will benefit from psychotherapy What type of psychotherapy would be best Suicidal risk Risk for violence

29. The Place of Personality Assessment in Contemporary Clinical Psychology Or Why do we use these tests?

30. Psychological Assessment: Purpose: Typical Referral Question Please evaluate for organic brain damage (patient has history of polysubstance abuse) and evaluate for psychotic thinking

31. Tests Administered Evidence of Organic Damage Weschlser Memory Scale Trail Making Test Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test Benton Test of Visual Memory Evidence of Psychotic Thought MMPI Rorachach Beck Depression Inventory

32. Interpretation of Results Normal performance on tests of memory, concentration and attention Personality testing suggested the primary etiological role of emotional turmoil. Presence of both acute distress and chronic characterological problems. Acute distress: severe depression and a risk for suicide Reality testing in the normal range Significant ego regression when faced with affective arousal was noted.

33. Projective and Objective Personality Tests: Incremental Validity Degree to which assessment increases prediction based on base rates (prevalence) or other sources

34. Incremental Validity: Current Findings Tentative support for the incremental validity of the MMPI-2 scales in prediction of personality disorder, aggression, and differentiation between depressed patients and substance abuse patients NEO-PI-R: personality disorder, maternal responsiveness to infants and violence Rorschach: thought disorder but not other scores TAT: not adequately investigated

35. Objective Tests: Summary Material Covered 4 major approaches to test construction Examples of test based on first three test construction procedures Use of personality tests in modern clinical practice