Deck 6: The Assessment Interview

Question 1

A client who is experiencing moderate anxiety symptoms receives a list of four clinicians as possible sources of help.The assessment procedures that are employed by these four clinicians

A) may vary by theoretical orientation.
B) will be uniform.
C) will be uniform if all four clinicians have Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology.
D) will involve the same standardized tests, even if interview styles vary.

Answer 1

may vary by theoretical orientation.

Question 2

In presenting a therapy case to his colleagues for consultation,Dr.Jeffries remarks that he and the client have a good rapport.Therefore we may be confident in thinking that

A) Dr. Jeffries likes his client.
B) Dr. Jeffries's client likes him.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above

Answer 2

neither of the above

Question 3

Mr.and Mrs.Hargett set up an assessment appointment for their 15-year-old son,Tommy; when they bring him in,they say that they want to find out "what is wrong" with him.According to the text,what should the psychologist do in this case?

A) The psychologist should conduct a comprehensive assessment of Tommy, examining him for every type of psychological problem.
B) The psychologist should tell the parents that their referral question is inappropriate, and that they should take their son elsewhere.
C) The therapist should talk with the parents to help them narrow down their questions about Tommy, and then conduct an assessment around these questions.
D) The psychologist should conduct a focused assessment of Tommy, examining him for the problems most commonly observed in 15-year-old males.

Answer 3

The therapist should talk with the parents to help them narrow down their questions about Tommy, and then conduct an assessment around these questions.

Question 4

During an interview,Dr.Jimenez's client becomes very quiet,and there is a long period of silence.What should Dr.Jimenez do in this case?

A) She should say nothing until the client takes the initiative to speak again, even if it takes a very long time.
B) She should assume that the client is demonstrating resistance to the current topic.
C) She should say something just to break the awkward tension of the silence.
D) She should respond in such a way that encourages communication and understanding.

Question 5

Which of the following is an accurate statement?

A) "Small talk" (about the weather, etc.) at the beginning of an interview is a common novice mistake that decreases the likelihood that the client will return for a second session.
B) The interviewer should at least occasionally use professional jargon during the interview in order to communicate his/her expertise to the client.
C) The interviewer should have the client clarify words or terms when their meanings are not clear to him/her.
D) all of the above

Question 6

ALL BUT WHICH of the following is a goal of interviews conducted by clinical psychologists?

A) the establishment of rapport
B) emotional release for the client
C) personal satisfaction for the interviewer.
D) improvement in the client's psychological symptoms.

Question 7

During an interview,a client mentions that he occasionally experiences panic attacks.The interviewer asks,"Can you tell me a little more about the panic attacks you mentioned?" This is an example of a(n)__________ interview question.

A) facilitative
B) open-ended
C) confronting
D) clarifying

Question 8

__________ is acceptable in an interview once rapport has been established.

A) Confrontation
B) Probing
C) either of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 9

Interviews conducted by a computer,as opposed to those conducted by a clinician,

A) were labeled as unethical in the most recent APA code of ethics.
B) are more comfortable for some clients.
C) have not yet been developed, but are in the planning stages.
D) none of the above

Question 10

Interviews should generally be conducted in an environment in which the client

A) can be assured of privacy and protection from interruptions.
B) can gain insight regarding the psychologist's personality as reflected in the office decor.
C) is allowed to eat or drink.
D) all of the above

Question 11

What is an accurate statement about rapport?

A) Rapport is necessary and sufficient for a good clinical interview.
B) Rapport is something that can be developed through certain tried-and-true techniques.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 12

Which of the following is an accurate statement about taking verbatim notes during interviews or therapy sessions?

A) Taking verbatim notes is one of the best ways for a clinician to communicate that he or she is truly attending to the client.
B) Taking verbatim notes may keep the clinician from understanding what the client is feeling during the interview or session.
C) Taking verbatim notes has little impact, positive or negative, on an interview or therapy session.
D) In general, taking verbatim notes is probably more desirable than taking a moderate amount of notes.

Question 13

In ALL BUT WHICH of the following situations would we expect it to be more challenging than usual for a clinician to establish a good rapport?

A) Dr. Burke is meeting with a teenager as part of a school-mandated assessment of aggression-proneness.
B) Dr. Bouchard is meeting with a man who is being evaluated in anticipation of a custody hearing.
C) Dr. Ballas is meeting with a couple for marital therapy.
D) It may be somewhat more challenging to build rapport in all of the above situations.

Question 14

"Would you tell me about your relationship with your spouse?" is an example of a(n)__________ interview question.

A) confronting
B) direct
C) facilitative
D) open-ended

Question 15

Clinical assessment

A) has historically been one of the least important activities of clinical psychologists.
B) is less reliable when conducted by a clinician who will not subsequently become the therapist.
C) is more reliable when conducted by a clinician who will not subsequently become the therapist.
D) is crucial for helping clinicians to solve problems and/or make decisions.

Question 16

During an interview,the interviewer says,"Wait,I'm confused.A few minutes ago you said your anxiety prevents you from going to parties,but didn't you just mention being at a party at your friend's house last weekend?" This is an example of a(n)__________ interview question.

A) open-ended
B) clarifying
C) confronting
D) facilitative

Question 17

According to APA's ethical code,video recording interviews

A) is unethical.
B) is ethical only if the client consents to it.
C) is ethical only if a copy of the recording is provided to the client.
D) is ethical with adult clients, but not with child clients.

Question 18

During an interview,the interviewer says,"I'm not sure what you mean when you say your friend 'really let him have it.' Can you explain?" This is an example of a(n)__________ interview question.

A) clarifying
B) facilitative
C) open-ended
D) confronting

Question 19

Which of the following is an accurate statement about psychological assessment?

A) Interest in psychological assessment is currently at an all-time low.
B) One current trend in assessment is the use of evidence-based assessment (EBA).
C) Psychological assessment occurs only at the beginning of treatment.
D) more than one of the above

Question 20

In order to establish rapport,an interviewer should

A) use reflective statements as early as possible in the interview.
B) communicate the client's diagnosis to him/her at the end of the interview.
C) tell the client that he or she knows exactly what the client is feeling.
D) adopt an attitude of acceptance and respect for the client.

Question 21

Research on the reliability of diagnoses using unstructured interviews

A) has not yet been conducted.
B) has supported the use of unstructured interviews.
C) has not supported the use of unstructured interviews.
D) has focused primarily on unstructured interviews for the personality disorders.

Question 22

A clinician who refers to an interview as a "clinical interview" is probably conducting a(n)

A) case-history interview.
B) structured interview.
C) mental status examination interview.
D) unstructured interview.

Question 23

The __________ of an interview concerns how well the interview measures what it intends to measure.

A) validity
B) test-retest reliability
C) practical utility
D) interrater reliability

Question 24

The most common type of reliability assessed and reported for structured diagnostic interviews is

A) interrater reliability.
B) test-retest reliability.
C) internal consistency reliability.
D) temporal reliability.

Question 25

According to the text,which of the following is true based on research on structured interviews?

A) Patients don't seem to mind them, and they are used more frequently than unstructured interviews.
B) Patients do not like them, but they are used more frequently than unstructured interviews.
C) Patients don't seem to mind them, but they are used less frequently than unstructured interviews.
D) Patients do not like them, and they are used less frequently than unstructured interviews.

Question 26

What is the term for the type of interview that consists of a standard set of questions and follow-up probes that are asked in a predetermined sequence?

A) intake-admission
B) structured
C) case-history
D) systematic

Question 27

Intake-admission interviews generally have the purpose of

A) determining why the patient has come to the clinic.
B) judging whether the agency will meet the needs and expectations of the patient.
C) eliciting a complete personal and social history.
D) more than one of the above

Question 28

The introduction of operational criteria as part of the definitions of most mental disorders was essential to the development of structured interviews.Such criteria first appeared in

A) DSM-I.
B) DSM-II.
C) DSM-III.
D) DSM-IV.

Question 29

Intake-admission interviews

A) are conducted increasingly over the telephone
B) are conducted exclusively by clinical psychologists.
C) are intended to alleviate an immediate crisis.
D) are intended to assess for cognitive difficulties.

Question 30

Mental status examination interviews cover

A) mood.
B) state of consciousness.
C) thought processes.
D) all of the above

Question 31

The purpose of __________ interviews includes the provision of immediate resources.

A) crisis
B) diagnostic
C) intake-admission
D) mental status examination

Question 32

Interviewers should never

A) directly answer personal questions, even if they are inconsequential or trivial.
B) use the interview session as a place to work out their own problems.
C) either of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 33

Dr.Seul will be doing a clinical assessment later this morning,and he wants things to go as well as possible.ALL BUT WHICH of the following should help him to achieve that goal?

A) Preparing for the interview by reading all of the available records on the client.
B) Clarifying the referral question, if necessary.
C) Giving full play to the client's emotions during the contact, even if it means going off topic.
D) Giving the client some feedback or closure at the end of the interview.

Question 34

According to the text,in what two basic respects do the various types of clinical interviews differ?

A) time and formality
B) formality and purpose
C) purpose and level of structure
D) level of structure and time

Question 35

Dr.Hebb and his client are of the same sex and ethnicity.Dr.Vernon and his client differ with regard to both sex and ethnicity.What assumption below is a safe one to make?

A) Dr. Hebb and his client have several values in common.
B) Dr. Vernon and his client have few values in common.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 36

If a clinical psychologist is going to work with psychiatrists extensively,it is particularly important that he/she be familiar with __________ interviews,as they are one of the primary assessment tools used by psychiatrists.

A) mental status examination
B) intake-admission
C) crisis
D) case-history

Question 37

The SCID-I

A) is a structured interview designed to provide immediate assistance to clients.
B) is a structured interview designed to yield a DSM-IV diagnosis.
C) is a structured interview for child clients.
D) more than one of the above

Question 38

Dr.Lyons has developed an interview that assesses for a temporary psychiatric syndrome.When he collects data and calculates the one-month test-retest reliability,the figure is low.Which of the following is a possible explanation for this low figure?

A) People's symptoms changed over the one-month time frame.
B) People were bored or fatigued on one or both administrations.
C) either of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 39

The type of interview that generally covers the broadest range of material is the __________ interview.

A) case-history
B) intake-admission
C) mental status examination
D) crisis

Question 40

Case-history interviews of adult clients

A) focus primarily on their childhoods.
B) cover sexual development and medical history.
C) do not cover educational or work histories.
D) none of the above

Question 41

Predictive validity is a subtype of __________ validity.

A) criterion-related
B) concurrent
C) discriminant
D) content

Question 42

Research on interviewing suggests that

A) the interviewer's theoretical orientation does not influence the focus of the interview.
B) the match or mismatch between interviewer and interviewee in terms of age, gender, or race does not influence the course of the interview.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 43

Explain why kappa estimates of interrater reliability are smaller than the percentage of time that clinicians arrive at the same conclusion.What range of kappa value is considered to reflect excellent interrater agreement?

Question 44

How should interviewers handle the issues of note-taking,audio recording,and video recording?

Question 45

__________ validity is the extent to which an interview does not correlate with measures that are not theoretically related to the construct that the interview attempts to measure.

A) Concurrent
B) Content
C) Criterion-related
D) none of the above

Question 46

Briefly compare and contrast intake-admission,case-history,mental status examination,crisis,and diagnostic interviews.

Question 47

What is the role of rapport in interviewing,and how can interviewers enhance rapport?

Question 48

How is a clinical interview similar to and different from ordinary conversation? Psychological tests?

Question 49

A clinical psychologist develops a clinical interview to assess for the presence of alcohol abuse and dependence.In evaluating the interview,the psychologist conducts a study that compares people's current scores on this interview with their current scores on a well-established paper-and-pencil measure of alcohol abuse and dependence.What kind of validity does this study appear to be assessing?

A) content validity
B) predictive validity
C) concurrent validity
D) discriminant validity

Question 50

Dr.Kanakis develops a brief structured interview to assess for the various eating disorders.To evaluate the interview,Dr.Kanakis sets up a study where one graduate student interviews an introductory psychology student while another is observing the interview behind a one-way mirror.Both graduate students score the interview.They repeat this process for 25 students,and then their scores are compared to observe the extent to which they agree on the presence or absence of each diagnosis.What,specifically,is being assessed in this study?

A) concurrent reliability
B) interrater reliability
C) concurrent validity
D) interrater validity

Question 51

Discuss the different types of reliability that apply to interviews.How is each measured?

Question 52

In general,a kappa value __________ is considered to reflect excellent interrater agreement beyond chance.

A) greater than 0
B) between .75 and 1.00
C) greater than 100
D) between -.25 and .25

Question 53

An interview designed to measure depression includes questions about cognitive and emotional aspects,but no questions about somatic aspects (weight changes,sleep disturbance,etc.).This interview clearly has imperfect __________ validity.

A) predictive
B) content
C) discriminant
D) concurrent

Question 54

Identify and briefly describe three ways that a clinician might enhance his or her own "gender awareness."

Question 55

__________ validity is the degree to which the interview items adequately measure the various aspects of the variable or construct.

A) Content
B) Predictive
C) Concurrent
D) Construct

Question 56

Briefly compare and contrast the following types of interview questions: open-ended,facilitative,clarifying,confronting,and direct.

Question 57

Explain why it is so difficult to validate a structured diagnostic interview.What is required for us to feel confident about the validity of such interviews?

Question 58

An interview designed to measure panic disorder correlates positively with several measures of psychoticism.This suggests that the interview has __________ validity.

A) poor predictive
B) poor discriminant
C) strong discriminant
D) poor concurrent

Question 59

Test-retest reliability is expected to be high when

A) the intervening time period between initial test and retest is at least several months.
B) the variable being assessed is a long-standing personality trait.
C) the variable being assessed is a temporary syndrome.
D) more than one of the above

Question 60

Briefly describe the ideal physical environment for a clinical interview.