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Chapter 11: Personality Assessment - An Overview What Is Personality?

This document provides an overview of personality assessment and the major approaches used to construct personality tests. It discusses traits versus states, the goals of personality tests, and culturally relevant issues. The four major approaches described are the logical approach, theoretical approach, data reduction approach, and criterion groups approach. Examples of commonly used personality tests are provided for each approach, along with limitations of each approach. Objective and projective personality assessment techniques are also briefly outlined.

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MARIE ROSE L. FUNTANAR
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573 views4 pages

Chapter 11: Personality Assessment - An Overview What Is Personality?

This document provides an overview of personality assessment and the major approaches used to construct personality tests. It discusses traits versus states, the goals of personality tests, and culturally relevant issues. The four major approaches described are the logical approach, theoretical approach, data reduction approach, and criterion groups approach. Examples of commonly used personality tests are provided for each approach, along with limitations of each approach. Objective and projective personality assessment techniques are also briefly outlined.

Uploaded by

MARIE ROSE L. FUNTANAR
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 11: Personality Assessment - An Overview

What is personality?
• Unique constellation of psychological states and traits (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2010)

Trait v. State
• Trait
– relatively enduring
• State
– interaction

Goals of Personality Tests


• Why assess personality traits?
– Self-perception
– Strengths and weaknesses
– Interests

Culturally-Relevant Issues
• Values system
• Acculturation v. Identity
• Relation to group
– Individualistic v. Collectivistic
• Translation issues

Four Major Approaches to Personality Test Construction


• Logical Approach
– Content-related validation
– Insight into content
– Direct questioning

Examples
• Woodworth Personal Data Sheet (1919)
– WWI
– Items measuring presence of symptoms
• Mooney Problem Checklist (1950)
– Students
– Emotional functioning
• Symptom Checklist 90-R (Derogatis, 1994)
– Adolescents and adults

Limitations
• Face validity
• Self-report
• Statistical analyses
Theoretical Approach
• Based on theory
• Intended to assess personality type

Examples
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (1943, 1960)
– Jungian typology - preferences
– I-E (sensing-intuitive) T-F thinking (judging perceptive)
• Edwards Personality Preference Scale (Edwards, 1953)
– Murray's (1938) theory of relative needs
– Ipsative scale

Ipsative Samples
• Which of the two items best describes your interests?
– I like to arrange flowers
– I like to solve computer software problems

Examples (cont)
• Self-Directed Search (Holland et al., 1994)
– Vocational personality

Limitations
• Ipsative scales are relative
• Interpretations appear arbitrary

Data Reduction
• Factor analysis
• Identify observed dimensions of personality

Examples
• 16 PF Personality Factors (Cattell)
• Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (1976)
• NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (Costa & McRae, 1992)
– “The Big Five”

Limitations
• Subjective identification of factors
• Emphasis on grouping of variables
• Focus of common variance

Criterion Groups
• Use of reference groups
• Compare criterion (trait) and control groups (non-trait)
Empirical Criterion Keying
• Scoring key
• Divergent validity
• Items

Examples
• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2 MMPI - 2 (1989)
• California Personality Inventory CPI (Gough, 1987)

Personality Assessment Techniques


• Objective vs. Projective

Objective Methods
• Self-report short-answer items
• Structured scoring system
• Emphasize reliability and validity

Examples
• MMPI-A (Adolescent) Butcher et al, 1992
– Assessing psychopathology
– Teenagers
• State Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI (Spielberger, 1985)
– State Anxiety
– Trait Anxiety

• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Hathaway & McKinley


(1940)
• Originally intended for differential diagnosis
• Tentative hypothesis of psychopathology

MMPI-2
• 1989 major restandardization
• 567 items - True, False, Cannot Say responses - no repeated items
• 14% of items changed, 107 new items

Scales
• Multidimensional since scales overlap
• Six validity scales
• Ten Clinical Scales
• Supplementary Scales

T scores
• Uniform T-scores: M = 50, SD = 10
– Higher T-score indicates
• Score of 65 (70 - 2 standard deviations) is statistically significant
– Profile is interpreted as a whole
Psychometric Properties
• Reliability
• Validity
– Convergence
– Discriminant

Limitations
• Self-report
• Impression management
• Response style
– Social desirability: seen in a favorable light
• Faking good
• Faking bad
– Malingering

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