Class 11 Psych Testing Personality Tests Objective Projective

Class 11: Psych Testing Personality Tests: Objective Projective 1

Personality Tests overview A. Objective tests (Class 11) n 1. Types of tests n 2. Response sets and faking n 3. Samples of tests: – Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 – Beck Depression (or Anxiety) Inventory-II – Symptom Checklist (SCL)-90 – Eating Disorders Inventory: Chloe Andrus – State-trait Anxiety: Carmella Wiles – Seligman: core strengths in schools: Karen Battka B. Projective tests (Class 12) – Inkblots: Rorschach. Holtzman: Jules Joannini – Thematic Apperception Test/Children’s AT: Jasmine Ruoff – Incomplete Sentence Blanks: – Human Figure Drawings—Jenny Kepler 2

Personality Tests: Intro. n n Debate on whethere is a relatively fixed “thing” called “personality” or not (1970 s+). Mischell (1968; Stanford): we are influenced by the environment; do not have a fixed personality. – So we have to look to the environmental triggers that generate behavior. n Personality theory: personality is relatively fixed and permanent as early childhood (Chess and Thomas) or as late as early adulthood. – so that a measure of personality is likely to say something significant about the individual. n Do infants have unique “personalities”? 3

Objective vs. projective personality tests n Objective: – fixed and limited choice of responses (e. g. , MMPI); – can be scored objectively. – Doesn’t mean test is objective. • n To “I’m outgoing”, choices are: Yes or no, or gradations in between Projective: – ambiguous stimuli—why? – pictures (TAT), drawings (HTP), inkblots (Rorschach), incomplete sentence stems, “tell a story” – an individual fills in with their projections. – Takes some sophistication to interpret, and different interpreters can have differing ideas. 4

A. Objective tests 1. Types of tests n n Broad range of tests; one way to categorize (H, 449): Tap both normal function (e. g. , personality traits) – E. g. of traits: sociability, sense of well being; Meyers-Briggs. – Seligman and positive psychology advocates have published a set of traits he calls a “manual of sanities”. n n as well as psychopathology. Also tests can be comprehensive – tapping many areas of function, like the MMPI, so many scores, and variety of applications. Longer. Open-end investigation. n or tap just one specific domain – E. g. , shyness, depression or anxiety (the Beck Inventories), or a suicide inventory, or self-concept scale. 5 – Relatively short; very specific uses

A simple specific domain test: Beck Depression Inventory (BDIII)(1996) n n n Only asks about depression: Single domain. Ranks 6 th in popularity for clinical psychologists. Beck: cognitive behaviorist. Focuses on “negative cognitions” that cause rather than result from depression Examines 3 types of cognitions: – About the world: e. g. , I’ve lost all interest in others. – About the future: e. g. , I feel discouraged about the future. – About one’s self: e. g. , I blame myself for all bad things that happen In addition to cognition questions (8), there are somatic questions (13). – E. g. , loss of pleasure, crying, agitation, loss of energy, sleep, appetite changes, fatigue, etc. n Lends itself to CBT nicely: cognitive restructuring. 6

Beck Depression Inventory II n n n Just 21 questions, so completed in 5 -10 minutes. In trend toward tests for specific purposes: e. g. , has a patient’s depression remitted as a result of treatment? – Used at times as a measure of efficacy of therapy &/or medication. The degree of depression is determined by rating each topic from 0 – 3 (no symptom to significant symptom), and then summing. Norms for the BDI II: Score of – 0 -13 = Minimal depression – 14 - 19: mild depression – 20 - 28: moderate depression – 29+: severe depression Evaluation: – Scores easily exaggerated or minimized by test taker – May reflect physical function as much as psychological – Inappropriate for dx of depression alone 7

Beck Depression Inventory n Administer 8

Beck Anxiety Inventory 9

Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90 -R): a simple comprehensive test n n n 1994: The revised version. By Derogatis: quick self-report survey of dysfunctional states. 90 items; takes 15 minutes. For ages 13 up Rate each symptom on a 5 point scale: 0 (not at all) – 4 (extremely); – did the symptom occur only in the last 7 days? So current states. n n Cut off score t score at 63 (90 th %ile). A potential quick check which should be followed up with an interview. Why? 10

Somatization Obsess-Com Interpersonal Sensitivity Global Severity Index (total score) Depression Anxiety Hostility Phobic Anx Paranoid Ideation Psychoticism Positive Symptom Distress Index (ave distress) Positive Symptom Total (# of nonzero responses) 11

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SCL (cont. d) n Separate t-score norms for different groups: n Translated into many languages Potential uses? Uses in number of medical settings n n – males vs. females in each of: – psychiatric in-patients or outpatients, – adult and adolescent non-patients – Screening – Psychological factors in reflux, whiplash, assessment for surgery Potential problems? No examination of test-taking attitude or wishes to appear in a certain light 14

A. Objective tests (complex) 2. Response sets and faking a. Response sets: conscious or uncs style of responding that colors the responses and distorts expression of one’s true feelings. n Another term: Impression management (wish to create an impression) n Specific sets: Socially desirable response style: appear in a socially acceptable way on the test. – E. g. , to be agreeable and acquiescent (“yeasayer”). n Is the person genuinely friendly or attempting to get the examiner to like her? Is the person agreeing to obtain liking? – or to disagree with most things (“naysayer””). Motivations for this? – These are personality characteristics too. 15

Impression management? 16

A. Objective tests 2. Response sets and faking n n b. Faking or dissimulation: deliberately altering one’s responses for a consciously intended purpose. “Faking bad” or malingering: deliberately attempting to appear more disturbed than is true. – What are some reasons someone would one do this? n “Faking good”: appearing to be less disturbed than one is; more socially accepted. – Why’d someone do this? 17

2. Response sets and faking: c. Attempts to deal with these problems: n 1. Responses that are extremely unusual: call for interpretation. – E. g. , on MMPI: the F scale is the “infrequent” scale. A high F scale is taken to indicate one of several possibilities: – Deliberate attempt to distort results (malingering); but also: severe psychosis; reading difficulty; cry for help. It may also suggest that the test is invalid (common interpretation) n n n 2. Inconsistency to same items: means ? . 3. Balancing the possibility of saying true or false (to minimize what? ) 4. Measure how “socially desirable” the individual wants to be and add a correction for it. – (MMPI: L and K scales; and now “superlative” scale) 18

A. Objective tests 3. Major tests: n n n n n MMPI By far the most widely used “objective personality test” A “comprehensive” (wide ranging) personality measure 567 statements (“questions”) taking ~90 minutes to respond to, each with either T or F about oneself. Statements as: “I like fashion magazines” “I sleep poorly” “I would like to be an auto mechanic” “At times I feel like swearing” “I’ve gotten a raw deal” “I have been in trouble with the law” 19

A. Objective tests 3. Major tests: MMPI n First version: published in 1943 primarily for diagnosis – Unique in being “atheoretical”: not based on a personality theory – Included 4 validity scales (unusual at time) n n Items chosen for the 9 clinical scales rationally and then subjected to contrasts between responses from mental patients vs. visitors (“normals”); those items that best contrasted were used in the clinical scales. MMPI-2: 1989: relatively modest revisions to allow continuity with earlier findings 20

MMPI Interpretation n Initially expected: To indicate the specific psychopathology of an individual based on an elevation of a specific scale (e. g. , depression or hypomania or schizophrenia, etc. ). Each mentally disturbed individual could be distinguished by their single scale elevation, and non-disturbed individuals would have no elevations. 21

MMPI Interpretation n n Unfortunately, there turned out to be several characteristics on a specific scale so that having a high point on that scale meant that it was not clear which of the characteristics were present. E. g. , on scale 4, psychopathy, one could be angry with all and express socially imperturbability, or have conflicts with family. If the former, one might be more likely to be a criminal (though not necessarily); if the latter, it might be due to poor treatment by an authority figure. E. g. , on scale 3, hysteria, it could indicate a denial of conflict, a demand for support, an expression of optimism, and/or naiveté. 22

A. Objective tests 3. Major tests: MMPI The clinical scales: n a neurotic cluster: hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria; n a psychotic cluster: paranoia, “psychasthenia” or obsessional anxiety, schizophrenia, hypomania; n a personality type: psychopathy n and two others: masculinity/femininity and social introversion (both of which were omitted later) n Because of massive research, many additional scales were formulated. Interpretation strategy: n First evaluate validity scales: is the test valid, interpretable? n If it is, then interpret the main clinical scales: what does the profile or pattern of scores suggest? Very 23 complex process.

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Some interpretations of a 2 -4 profile: n n n Either chronic lifestyle, or a high scale 4 personality with a situational setback. Feeling anger, depression, dissatisfaction, resentful, restless. Self-defeating. Anger may be turned out or in. – When turned outward, feeling the victim of circumstance, prevented from one’s goals. – When turned inward, feel reprehensible, unworthy; can be self-destructive. Evaluate for suicide potential and wish to punish others in the process. n If hi 4 person, distress from adverse consequences of behavior; difficulty controlling impulses; transient remorse (depression) from being caught. 25

Therapy recommendations (2 -4 profile): n n n n Antisocial person: may need to hit bottom to want to change, or resist change. “Nothing works. ” Another type: very hurt individual angry about wounding. Talk about their belief that no action on their part helps (and so don’t try). Point out how they undermine themselves. Look for childhood issues where they’ve felt let down, abandoned and to question their efficacy. Examine how they numb themselves and have learned to not trust others. Look at their impulsivity as a way to avoid feeling, thinking. 26 Consider substance abuse problems

MMPI 2 Restructured Form n n Third version: MMPI 2 -RF (Restructured Form, or Revised Clinical scales--RC) (2008): currently being floated as a replacement for the MMPI 2, but acceptance is uncertain now. New: A general factor called “demoralization” is initially determined: How distressed is the client? Then the clinical factors are all separated more cleanly: Each test question can indicate the presence of only one clinical symptom. Symptoms are renamed and re-defined: 27

MMPI 2 Restructured Form n n n RC terms Traditional terms Demoralization Somatic Complaints Hypochondriasis Low Positive Emotions Depression Cynicism Hysteria? Antisocial Behavior Psychopathy Ideas of Persecution Paranoia Dysfunctional Negative Emotions Psychasthenia Aberrant Experiences Schizophrenia Hypomanic Activation Mania Critique: Is this a new test or a revised version? Taken out: MF and SI 28

Some MMPI Uses n n n evaluation of psychopathology (e. g. , for disability evaluations, forensic cases; for understanding psychotherapy challenges); for therapy or other treatment recommendations (e. g. , what are therapeutic issues to focus on? The class of medications to consider? ); Assistance in medical decision making (e. g. , bariatric surgery) Selection for jobs (e. g. , police officers) Research 29

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