Deck 8: Assessment: Self-Report and Projective Measures

Question 1

Alicia has been referred to a psychologist due to complaints about anxiety.In the interview she reports that her singing teacher complains she is shy and withdrawn.She also reports that she is an active member of her religious community.Contemporary clinical psychologists view this as:

A) evidence of the problem of multi-informant assessment.
B) evidence that Alicia is an unreliable informant.
C) evidence of conditions in which symptoms are less severe.
D) evidence of the need for projective tests to circumvent self-report biases.

Answer 1

evidence of conditions in which symptoms are less severe.

Question 2

Deliberately emphasizing positive characteristics when completing a personality inventory is referred to as

A) faking bad.
B) impression management.
C) faking good.
D) positivity bias.

Answer 2

faking good.

Question 3

Walter Mischel's (1968)literature review of research into the link between personality traits and actual behaviour found

A) a strong correlation.
B) a modest correlation.
C) an inverse correlation.
D) a correlation that was moderated by age.

Answer 3

a modest correlation.

Question 4

Debate over whether personality traits or contextual factors are more responsible for an individual's behaviour is known as the

A) person-context debate.
B) individual-situation debate.
C) person-situation debate.
D) individual-context debate.

Question 5

___________ are comprised of drawings or responses to ambiguous stimuli,and are based on the assumption that responses reveal information about ____________.

A) Behaviour checklists; the frequency, intensity, or duration of behaviours
B) Behaviour checklists; personality structure
C) Projective tests; personality structure
D) Projective tests; the frequency, intensity, or duration of behaviours

Question 6

Many personality measures are called objective personality tests because

A) they always use the same scoring system.
B) they are based on the unique personality of the client taking the test.
C) objective observers rate the behaviour and personality of the individual.
D) they are not subject to mood or other contextual influences in testing.

Question 7

Separated parents are in the middle of a difficult custody case.In completing a personality inventory in a custody evaluation,one parent downplays his/her anger management problems.This is an example of

A) maligning.
B) faking bad.
C) negative image management.
D) faking good.

Question 8

Deliberately emphasizing negative characteristics when completing a personality inventory is referred to as

A) malingering.
B) negative image management.
C) maligning.
D) undermining.

Question 9

Most personality inventories include validity scales to

A) ensure that that the inventory is testing the construct it was designed to test.
B) ensure that the inventory is internally consistent.
C) ensure that the inventory is psychometrically sound.
D) detect whether a person is purposely presenting themselves in a positive or negative way.

Question 10

Projective tests are used mainly to make inferences about a person's

A) developmental history.
B) personality structure.
C) intelligence.
D) likelihood of faking good.

Question 11

Validity scales focus on three possible tendencies that could distort the answers given by test takers including:

A) faking good, faking bad, and inconsistent responses
B) faking bad, inconsistent responses, and incorrect answers
C) faking good, faking bad, and incorrect answers
D) faking good, inconsistent responses, and incorrect answers.

Question 12

Which psychologist ignited the person-situation debate by suggesting that situational factors may influence behaviour more than personality?

A) Albert Bandura
B) Matthew Sanders
C) Theodore Millon
D) Walter Mischel

Question 13

A self-report measure,derived from descriptive characteristics of an experience or an event rather than from personality theories in which the person is asked to rate the frequency,intensity,or duration or particular behaviours or experiences is known as a(n)

A) behaviour checklist.
B) projective test.
C) intelligence test.
D) objective personality test.

Question 14

_________'s early theories postulated that the unconscious aspect of our personality is something that can be accessed through considerable conscious effort.

A) Freud
B) Jung
C) Wechsler
D) Rogers

Question 15

In their review of research on self-knowledge,Wilson and Dunn (2004)suggested that we can learn more about ourselves by __________.However,social cognitive research suggests that self-knowledge can be increased by _____________.

A) introspection; attending to how others view us
B) attending to how others view us; intentionally observing our own behaviours and decisions
C) intentionally observing our own behaviours and decisions; introspection
D) attending to how others view us; introspection

Question 16

The tendency to consistently behave in specific ways is termed a(n)

A) behavioural specificity.
B) personality trait.
C) habit.
D) objective characteristic.

Question 17

Research comparing the susceptibility of projective tests and self-reports of personality to faking responses

A) is inconclusive.
B) indicates that projective tests are consistently more easily faked than are self-report measures.
C) indicates that self-report measures are consistently more easily faked than are projective tests.
D) suggests that the ambiguous nature of projective tests makes it difficult for clients to exaggerate or minimize psychological problems.

Question 18

Most personality tests are based on __________ and are often called ___________ personality tests.

A) self-report; subjective
B) scoring by the test administrator; subjective
C) self-report; objective
D) scoring by the test administrator; objective

Question 19

The Test of Memory Malingering,designed to assess exaggeration of memory deficits among individuals with potential ______________,has demonstrated ________ accuracy in identifying malingering.

A) behaviour problems; high
B) neurological impairments; high
C) psychological problems; low
D) physical impairments; low

Question 20

Wilson and Dunn's (2004)review of research related to self-knowledge found:

A) evidence for the usage of conscious suppression.
B) evidence for the concept of repression.
C) introspection enhances the accuracy of self-understanding.
D) no evidence for the usage of conscious suppression.

Question 21

The MCMI-III is designed to measure

A) clinical personality patterns.
B) major clinical syndromes.
C) clinical personality patterns and major clinical syndromes.
D) personality functioning in a non-clinical population.

Question 22

After decades of validity research and frequent clinical use,there is ____________ scientific evidence that MMPI or Rorschach scores have a meaningful impact on the outcome of psychological services.

A) overwhelming
B) adequate
C) virtually no
D) an unsubstantiated amount of

Question 23

In interpreting the results of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III,a psychologist must to be aware that the MCMI-III tends to

A) underpathologize test-takers.
B) overpathologize test-takers.
C) Artificially diminish correlations between scales.
D) be more accurate in assessing some individuals than others.

Question 24

The Achenbach scales yield scores on which two broad types of problems?

A) Physical and mental health problems.
B) Cognitive and social problems.
C) Internalizing and externalizing problems.
D) Personality and Axis I problems.

Question 25

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV has the following limitation to its validity:

A) the normative sample was smaller than usual.
B) partly due to item overlap, the scale has a tendency to overpathologize individuals.
C) there is insufficient item overlap between scales to account for symptoms that appear in more than one disorder.
D) partly due to item overlap, the scale has a tendency to underestimate rates of pathology.

Question 26

The Personality Assessment Inventory is intended for ___________ and requires a Grade ____ reading level.

A) youth and adults; 4
B) adults; 4
C) youth and adults; 8
D) adults; 8

Question 27

The overall reliability of the Personality Assessment Inventory scales is superior to the

A) Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV.
B) Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory.
C) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.
D) All of the above.

Question 28

The NEO Personality Inventory-3 is based on what model of personality?

A) Cognitive-social
B) Five-factor
C) Personality type categories
D) Triarchic theory of personality

Question 29

The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised is the most widely used general measure of

A) depression.
B) anxiety.
C) behaviour problems.
D) general psychological distress.

Question 30

The tendency to exaggerate or overestimate the extent of pathology is known as ______________ the patient.

A) improperly coding
B) overpathologizing
C) overmedicalizing
D) overgeneralizing

Question 31

Concerns about the need to use measures that are inexpensive,not too time-consuming,and with direct and immediate relevance to treatment planning and monitoring have led to the increased use of:

A) projective tests.
B) behaviour and symptom checklists.
C) objective personality tests.
D) structured clinical interviews.

Question 32

Which approach to test construction involves developing items specifically to tap the construct being assessed?

A) Item approach
B) Content approach
C) Empirical criterion-keying approach
D) Construct approach

Question 33

A study by Lima and colleagues (2005)found that providing clinicians with access to patient MMPI-2 data at the beginning of treatment

A) impacted the number of sessions attended, but had no impact on patient improvement.
B) did not impact the number of sessions attended, but positively impacted patient improvement.
C) impacted the number of sessions attended and negatively impacted patient improvement.
D) did not impact either the number of sessions attended or on patient improvement.

Question 34

When conducting an assessment with a client from an ethnic minority background for whom no culturally validated measures are available,the psychologist should:

A) avoid using scores, or indicate that the scores may not provide an optimal assessment of the client's functioning.
B) indicate in the assessment report that accuracy and validity of results may be less than ideal.
C) use the test only to aid in generating hypotheses about the client's functioning.
D) all of the above.

Question 35

Which approach to test construction involves retaining items that discriminate between two clearly defined groups?

A) Item approach
B) Content approach
C) Empirical criterion-keying approach
D) Construct approach

Question 36

The most commonly used measure of normal personality is:

A) The NEO Personality Inventory-3
B) The California Psychological Inventory
C) Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory
D) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Question 37

In the MMPI-2 normative sample,individuals with lower education and lower income were slightly underrepresented.In interpreting results on the MMPI-2 for those with lower education and lower income clinicians must be aware that the:

A) cut-off scores for determining presence of clinical problems may be too low.
B) test is likely to yield a high number of false positives.
C) test may overpathologize these individuals.
D) all of the above.

Question 38

In translating and adapting a test for use in a second language,back translation refers to:

A) Translation of the items into the second language, then translation back into the first language by a differed translator and comparison of the two versions.
B) conducting pilot testing of the translated measure to ensure it is comprehensible.
C) re-standardizing scores on the measure using norms specific to the translated measure.
D) establishing construct validity between the two version to determine whether the instruments measure the same psychological qualities in both languages.

Question 39

In using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised,psychologists must be aware that

A) most subscales do not adequately measure the constructs they are designed to assess.
B) there is limited evidence of sensitivity to treatment-related changes.
C) there is insufficient overlap among the subscales.
D) the scale yields an underestimate of psychopathology.

Question 40

The Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory differs from the MCMI-IV in that it also assesses:

A) Expressed concerns, such a peer insecurity.
B) Personality styles and disorders.
C) Major clinical syndromes.
D) The suitability of the measure for adolescents not seeking mental health services.

Question 41

In considering the cultural appropriateness of personality measures,discuss two ways that personality measures may be biased or unfair.

Question 42

List the three incremental steps for determining a measure's clinical utility by Hunsley and Bailey (1999):

Question 43

A self-report checklist designed to evaluate recent (in the past two weeks)symptoms of depression in children is the:

A) Beck Depression Inventory-II
B) Children's Depression Inventory 2
C) Outcome Questionnaire
D) Symptom Checklist-90-Revised

Question 44

Research indicates that the Rorschach Inkblot test is likely to

A) underpathologize patients.
B) overpathologize patients.
C) be very accurate at detecting mood and anxiety problems.
D) be valid for use with children and youth.

Question 45

Provide a brief description of the Rorschach Inkblot Test and list two potential negative aspects of the test.

Question 46

Research indicates that when examiners use Exner's Comprehensive System (CS)for administering and scoring the Rorschach test that

A) administration errors are still easy to make, and can impact examinees' responses.
B) administration errors much less common when using this system for administering and scoring the test.
C) the norms for the test underestimate rates of pathology within the nonpatient population.
D) the Rorschach is an appropriate tool to use with children and adolescents, yielding valid results.

Question 47

Name two benefits of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI).

Question 48

Wilson and Dunn (2004)reviewed research related to questions of how well we can know ourselves and the obstacles to self-knowledge.List two of their general conclusions.

Question 49

Research findings suggest that the Rorschach should not be used to

A) examine thought disorder.
B) aid in the development of clinical hypotheses.
C) provide diagnostic information.
D) assess personality structure.

Question 50

Explain why the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV (and other self-report personality measures)have a tendency to overpathologize test-takers:

Question 51

Because of the concerns about the quality of the Comprehensive System (CS)norms,considerable efforts have been devoted to developing norms that meet the standards expected of psychological tests.To that end,a series of norms called _____________ has been published that draws on data from over 5,800 people from 16 countries.

A) Rorschach Performance Samples
B) The International Reference Samples
C) The Youth Self-Report
D) Symptom Checklist-90

Question 52

What is the person-situation debate?
a. The person-situation debate refers to the question of what contributes to the accurate prediction of a person's behaviour, the situation, or personality.
b. It was launched by Walter Mischel in his book Personality and Assessment (1968).
c. During that time, it was believed that the more an individual possessed a certain trait, the more likely that person was to behave in a manner consistent with the trait in any situation
d. Based on his review of the literature, Mischel questioned whether there was a direct connection between personality traits and actual behaviour. Specifically, he suggested that the type of situation may account for as much (if not more) of the variability in a person's behaviour.

Question 53

Explain what the study conducted by Hamel,Shaffer,and Erdberg (2000)examining the use of the Rorschach Inkblot Test with children by demonstrated:

Question 54

Explain the three main types of self-presentation biases that validity scales of the major personality inventories attempt to investigate.

Question 55

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)

A) does not provide sufficient detail to determine whether a person meets criteria for diagnosis of a mood disorder.
B) provides sufficient detail to determine whether a person meets the diagnostic criteria for a mood disorder.
C) does not have strong psychometric properties.
D) is unlikely to be an accurate tool for monitoring treatment, as scores remain constant across repeated administrations.