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Block 4 Unit 4 Personality Inventories

1) What are the differences between objective and projective psychological testing? 

• Stimuli: Objective tests present specific questions or statements with structured response options, such as 'yes/no', 'true/false' or multiple choice. Projective tests use ambiguous or unstructured stimuli, such as inkblots, incomplete sentences, or pictures, allowing for open-ended responses.

• Response Format: In objective testing, individuals select specific answers or ratings from predefined scales. In projective testing, subjects respond freely to the stimuli.

• Scoring and Interpretation: Objective test scores are tabulated and compared to reference groups using norms. Projective test responses are typically more challenging to score and interpret, often requiring subjective analysis of the content, themes, and other qualitative elements.

• Focus: Objective tests often assess specific constructs such as anxiety or depression, and focus on measuring specific traits or behaviours. Projective tests aim to reveal unconscious or conscious needs, motivations, and internal dynamics of personality.

• Standardisation: Objective tests tend to be standardised with norms, reliability and validity more easily determined. Projective tests are more difficult to standardise, and their psychometric properties are more challenging to evaluate.

• Directness: Objective tests are more direct with clear stimuli and limited response options. Projective techniques are considered indirect and less structured, allowing for a wider range of responses.

2) List the major objective tests used in clinical psychology. 

There are several objective tests frequently used in clinical practice:

• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, MMPI-2, MMPI-A): This is one of the most commonly used objective personality tests, including versions for adults (MMPI-2) and adolescents (MMPI-A). It includes a large item pool, used to create multiple scales.
• Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventories (MCMI-III): A series of self-report inventories designed to assess personality disorders and clinical syndromes.
• Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF): A personality test which measures 16 primary personality traits, often used in clinical psycho diagnostics.
• Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS): A paired comparison test to assess 15 personality variables.
• California Psychological Inventory (CPI): Designed to assess everyday "folk concepts" that people use to understand their own and others' behaviours.
• NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R): A measure used to assess the 'Big Five' personality traits, which are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

3) What are the main types of personality tests used? 

Main Types of Personality Tests Used

• Objective Personality Tests: These tests use structured questions or statements with limited response options, allowing for statistical analysis and comparison to norms. Examples include the MMPI, MCMI, 16PF, EPPS, CPI and NEO-PI-R.

• Projective Personality Tests: These tests use ambiguous stimuli to elicit individual responses, thought to reveal unconscious aspects of personality. Common examples include:

  • Rorschach Inkblot Test: Uses inkblots to elicit perceptions.
  • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT): Uses ambiguous pictures to elicit stories.
  • Projective Drawings: Such as the Draw-A-Person test, where individuals create drawings which are then analysed.
  • Sentence Completion Tests: Where individuals complete partial sentences to assess underlying thoughts and feelings.

These different types of tests serve various purposes in clinical settings, from diagnosing psychological disorders to exploring underlying personality dynamics and providing insights into specific traits and cognitive functions.

Important Points

1. Self-report measures assume that the respondent is probably the best observer of his/her own behaviour. Self-report measures ask individuals to assess their own behaviours, beliefs and feelings, with the assumption that they are best positioned to observe and report on their own internal states. While some self-report tests include validity scales to detect deception, it's generally understood that respondents are providing their own perspective on their behaviour.

2. The 16PF is based on the notion that there are 16 basic personality dimensions scaled through factor analysis. The 16PF, developed by Raymond Cattell, measures 16 primary personality traits derived from factor analytic studies.

3. The 16PF is basically a self-administered test. The 16PF is a multiple choice questionnaire that can be completed without a skilled examiner. It is designed to be self-administered.

4. The scales of the EPPS reflect needs from Murray's theory. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) assesses 15 needs based on Henry Murray’s theory of personality.

5. CPI scales have two major purposes, one of which is to predict what people will say and do in specific contexts. The California Psychological Inventory (CPI) is designed to assess ‘folk concepts’ which are the ways that people understand and predict their own and others behaviours.

6. The standard MMPI profile includes eight psychiatric scales and a(n) MF scale and a Social Introversion scale. The MMPI includes four validity scales and ten clinical scales including the Masculinity/Femininity (Mf) scale and the Social Introversion (Si) scale.

7. The Lie scale on the MMPI is composed of items that most people, if answering honestly, would not endorse. The Lie (L) scale is designed to identify individuals who are trying to present themselves in a favourable light, and consists of items that most people would not endorse if answering honestly.

8. The K scale of the MMPI was developed by comparing psychiatric patients and normals both with normal profiles. The Correction (K) scale was developed to identify defensiveness in test taking, comparing the responses of psychiatric patients and normal individuals who all had normal profiles.

9. One of the major concerns of the original MMPI: the standardization sample was not representative. The original MMPI's standardization sample was primarily Caucasian individuals from Minnesota, not representative of the broader population.

10. The MMPI-2 is highly similar to the original MMPI. The MMPI-2 is a revision of the original MMPI, with updated items, a new standardisation sample, and some new scales, but maintains the same core scales and overall structure as the original.

11. This test was developed as a better and more modern version of the MMPI Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was designed to be a more modern test and a better measure of personality disorders than the MMPI.

12. As contrasted to the MMPI, the MCMI has a well-defined theoretical rationale. Unlike the MMPI, which was developed empirically, the MCMI is based on Theodore Millon's theory of personality and the DSM classification system.