Personality Assessment

• Personality Definition: an individual’s unique constellation of psychological states and traits

• Traits: Guilford (1959), “An distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual varies from another.”

• States: transitory exhibition of some personality trait

• Types:constellation of traits & states that is similar in pattern to one identified category of personality taxonomy, e.g., Type A, personality profiles

Basic Characteristics of Personality Assessment Methods• Personality v. IQ & Achievement tests

– Typical v. maximum performance tests– Stability of constructs of interest

• Degree of inference in assessment methods– Behavioral v. “traditional” v. projective

• Interpretation approaches– Clinical v. actuarial

Methods of Developing Assessment Methods

• Logic/Reason– Face validity, content-oriented approach

• E.g., DSM questionnaires

• Theory– Questions reflect theory about personality &

human behavior• E.g., Self-Directed Search, EPPS

Methods of Developing Assessment Methods (cont.)

• Data Reduction methods– Factor analysis to place items to scales

• E.g., Cattell & 16PF, Children’s Personality Questionnaire, NEO PI-R (Big 5, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness)

• Empirical Criterion Keying– Can items/scales distinguish among groups?

• E.g., MMPI

MMPI Overview

• Psychiatric patients v. visitors

• 567 true-false items

• 10 clinical scales that could differentiate the groups

• “validity” scales

• Several “research”/content scales developed over the years

MMPA-2

• Items rewritten– Eliminated “objectionable” wording

• Added items– Drug abuse, Type A, attitudes toward work

• 3 new validity scales• New content scales, clinical scales the same• Larger & more representative normative

sample

Projective Assessment

• Psychodynamic origination

• Projective hypothesis– When confronted with ambiguous stimuli

subjects will create structure which reveals information about their personalities, needs, drives, etc.

Projectives (cont.)

• Defining characteristics– Lack of stimulus structure

– Multiplicity of responses permitted

– Absence of right or wrong answers

• Assumptions– Because they are ambiguous, they elicit more

meaningful information;

– They are less susceptible to faking

– Reveal more unconscious aspects of personality

Examples of projectives

• Rorschach– 10 ink blots– Exner comprehensive scoring system

• Free association and inquiry phases

• What are characteristics of response?– E.g., location, popular responses, perseveration

Storytelling/Apperception tests

• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)– Murray’s Needs-Press theory– What’s happening in the picture? What events led up to

the scene? What will happen next? What are the people’s thoughts, feelings, etc.

– Hero, Needs, press, outcomes, themes

• Children’s Apperception Test, Robert’s Apperception Test

• Modifications for individuals of differing ethnic backgrouns

Projective drawings

• Overall appraisal + “sign” approach

• Draw a Person

• House-Tree-Person

• Kinetic Family Drawing

Evaluation of Projectives

• Are they tests?– Can they be held to psychometric standards?

• Assumptions have not really held up.

• Can be influenced by situational variables. Stimuli not as ambiguous as assumed.

• Psychometrics not been demonstrated despite years of study.