Week 10 lecture slides.pptx

PERSONALITY TEST PSY61204 Psychological Tests and Measurements Dr Michele Anne Personality theories Trait versus type Traits exist on a continuum, with some people having a certain characteristic more than others Type is a dichotomous category, with some people having a characteristics wh...

PERSONALITY TEST PSY61204 Psychological Tests and Measurements Dr Michele Anne Personality theories Trait versus type Traits exist on a continuum, with some people having a certain characteristic more than others Type is a dichotomous category, with some people having a characteristics which others may not Trait approach (McCrae and Costa, 1986) Personality is generally marked by stability and regularity Personality is relatively stable across the age span. People do change, but rarely are changes dramatic Personality traits do predict behavior These traits can be assessed with a fair degree of accuracy both by self-reports and by ratings Theoretical models (Endler and Magnusson, 1976) Trait model Basic personality core Traits are the main source of individual differences Traits are quite stable Psychodynamic model Basic personality core with traits as components Early experiences affect the development of traits Situational model Situations are the main source of behavioral differences. Behaviour will change according to the situation Behaviours are function of the situation, how much gain is at stake, and whether the person might get away with something Theoretical models (Endler and Magnusson, 1976) (cont.) Interaction model Behavior is the result of an interaction between the person and the situation A person can be influenced by a situation, choose situations to engage in, and influence situations Phenomenological model Individual’s introspection and internal subjective experiences determine traits Self-concept is the integration of these perceived traits Big-Five (McCrae and Costa, 1989) Types of personality test Objective test Involves self rating or self-report of own behaviour and perceptions May be a response to an open-ended question (tell me about yourself), may require selecting self-descriptive adjectives from a list, answering true-false to a series of items, or rating items on a Likert scale Assumes individuals know themselves the best and are best able to report on their own behavior Answers can depend on level of insight of behaviour and honesty in disclosing Answers may be biased and socially desirable Many test incorporate validity scales Interpretation has clear scores and categorization Projective test Involves the presentation of an ambiguous set of stimuli, to which the respondents must respond Response presumably reflects their own personality and psychological functioning Inkblots, sentence stems, or pictures Answers can be affected by administrator bias, relationship, honesty Interpretation is subjective and may not have strong inter-rater reliability No clear scoring or categorization  Examples of personality test Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Self-report measure Areas: Extraversion-introversion, sensation-intuition, thinking- feeling, judging-perceiving 126 items with true-false response Scoring: Assign people to highest score in each pair of scales Dominant trait for each pair, with a total of four main traits Advantages: Good reliability and validity Limitations: Time consuming and fatigue MBTI categories 16 possible MBTI combinations The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) Self-report questionnaire Measure personality traits based on the Big-Five model Areas: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experiences, agreeableness, and conscientiousness 60 items on a 5-point Likert scale Scoring: Convert raw scores to t scores Advantages: Good reliability and validity Limitations: May not be suitable for special populations Rorschach's Inkblots Clinician administered Can be used for ages 5 and above 10 cards with inkblots which are black and white or coloured Participants are shown pictures of inkblots and asked to describe it, with clinician behind them to prevent any cues or bias from clinician Free association phase – anything which comes to mind when seeing inkblot Inquiry phase – exploring why they perceive inkblot in such a way Rorschach's Inkblots (cont.) Scoring Rorschach Comprehensive System (RCS) A scoring system developed to increase inter-rater reliability Scored based on information noted by clinician Level of vagueness, determinants, accuracy, contents, mental organizing activity, and illogical responses Advantage: Can identify underlying issues which is person is not talking about Greater flexibility in understanding person Limitations: Poor validity and reliability Lack of evidence to support Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Clinician administered Answer via narration or writing Reveal an individual's perception of interpersonal relationships, as well as how people identify, think about and resolve problems Thirty-one picture cards serve as stimuli for stories and descriptions about relationships or social situations (typically use 10-20 cards) Can help reveal underlying concerns and motives For each picture, participant has to describe what has led up to the event shown what is happening at the moment what the characters are feeling and thinking Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) (cont.) Scoring: Rate stories based on intensity, frequency, duration, and importance to the plot Advantage: Can identify underlying issues which is person is not talking about Greater flexibility in understanding person Limitations: Poor validity and reliability Lack of evidence to support Time consuming and fatigue Questions?