Measuring Personality and Personal Abilities

CHAPTER15 Most psycholo-gical testing measures personality, apti-tude, achievement, and vocational interest. The goal is to avoid bias and to make valid comparisons. Measuring Personality and Personal Abilities EXIT

good Components of a Psychological Test ^ Standardization Norms Validity Reliability Click on a term for more information. EXIT

good Components of a Psychological Test ^ Standardization Norms Validity Reliability Tests are standardized if there are clear directions for taking and interpreting the test. Every test is treated exactly the same way. EXIT

good Components of a Psychological Test ^ Standardization Norms Validity Reliability Norms are normal expected responses for people in a specific group. Once the norm is known, the test can focus on how individuals vary from the norm. EXIT

good Components of a Psychological Test ^ Standardization Norms Validity Reliability If the test measures what it is supposed to measure, then the test is valid. EXIT

good Components of a Psychological Test ^ Standardization Norms Validity Reliability A test is reliable if the score a person receives is consistent from one situation to another. Temporary conditions (or moods) should not affect reliable tests. EXIT

Personality Inventories A personality inventory is a list of statements about beliefs, habits, hopes, needs, and desires. MMPI 1-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) • More than 500 true/false items. • Items reflect a person’s answers to scales such as shyness, depression, and anxiety. California Psychological Inventory (CPI) • Often used in schools, this test has 480 items in areas such as self-control, the desire to achieve, and self-acceptance. • The test is fairly reliable, but can make mistakes in individual cases. EXIT

Projective Tests A projective test measures inner feelings based on reaction to a vague stimulus, such as an ink blot. The test taker projects his or her innermost self into the pictures. By doing this, the person reveals what is in the unconscious. These tests generally have low validity, but can prove useful to counselors for individual insights. EXIT

The Ink Blot Test • Devised by Hermann Rorschach. • People look at a series of ink blots he devised. They try to see form, substance, and meaning in the picture. • The real value of this test lies in the patterns of responses. Click here to see an example of an ink blot from the Rorschach test. EXIT

What do you see in the ink blot? EXIT

The TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) • In this test, people are shown pictures and asked to make up stories about what is going on in the picture. • Themes begin to emerge from the different stories. • These themes projected are themes in the test taker’s life as well. Click here to see an example of picture used for the Thematic Apperception test. EXIT

What do you think is happening in this picture? EXIT

Aptitude Tests Aptitude tests measure special skills in an area. Aptitude tests may measure a. Mechanical comprehension - People are asked to repair machinery and their scores are compared to people who are already in the field. b. Verbal Skills - This test measures a person’s ability to understand and use language effectively. EXIT

Achievement Tests Achievement Tests measure progress in a particular field. • The best known example is the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). • The test consists of verbal and mathematical problems. • The verbal section seems to measure achievement better; the mathematics section relies more on reasoning and logic than on learned knowledge. SAT EXIT

Vocational Interest Tests A useful test for students, this test predicts what vocational areas a person may want to explore. There is high validity associated with these types of tests. The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory is the most often used vocational test. A person selects from hundreds of statements and choices about occupations to help them decide whether a specific job is something they might like to do. The score is then compared to others with specific occupations who took the test. EXIT

Alternatives to Testing Interviews Problems include... Halo Effect - Having one positive characteristic means the interviewer assumes the person may have other positive characteristics as well. Reverse Halo - A negative characteristic leads the interviewer to believe that other negative characteristics exist as well. Standoutishness - Wearing unusual clothing or accessories can distract the interviewer from the process. EXIT

Action! Situational Assessment Observing people in action can give good indications of ability and personality. Drawbacks include 1. The researcher can’t interfere (by asking questions). 2. Behavior may change with minor changes in specific situations. EXIT

I hereby give my permission . . . signed X Ethical Standards of Testing 1. Permission is required to give a personality test. 2. Privacy must be respected. 3. You have a right to refuse to take personality tests given for research purposes. EXIT

General Tips for Students on Test Taking 1. Intelligence tests are not mandatory in all states. 2. Records (scores) are filed for intelligence tests. You can request to be reexamined if you doubt the first results. 3. Vocational interest tests should be taken—it is to your benefit. 4. Personality test taking may make you feel vulnerable and exposed—many people feel similarly. EXIT

Summary of Main Topics Covered Components { MMPI 1-2 CPI Personal Inventories { Ink Blot TAT Projective Tests Aptitude Tests Achievement Tests Vocational Interest Tests EXIT

Measuring Personality and Personal Abilities