PSYC 361 -- Lecture 10 Personality assessment

Assessment

Evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, and solutions.

Etiological factors

Causes of psychological problems being assessed.

Stable traits

Personality characteristics enduring over time.

Underlying personality structure

Core traits like paranoia and intelligence.

Structured tests

Standardized assessments beyond clinical interviews.

Norm establishment

Comparing test results to a population baseline.

Personality inventories

Objective tests measuring personality traits quantitatively.

Self-report

Participants choose responses from provided options.

Projective test

Ambiguous stimuli revealing unconscious thoughts.

Projective hypothesis

Responses reflect unconscious attitudes and behaviors.

Ego defense mechanism

Psychological strategies to protect from anxiety.

Psychoanalytic paradigm

Focus on unconscious processes in personality assessment.

Repression

Pushing unwanted thoughts into the unconscious.

Inference

Drawing conclusions from ambiguous test responses.

Inter-rater reliability

Consistency of scores between different evaluators.

Incremental validity

Additional useful information from a specific test.

Time-consuming tests

Projective tests requiring significant time and resources.

MMPI

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for psychological assessment.

Empirical criterion keying

Selecting test items based on group differences.

Diagnostic scales

MMPI items grouped to identify specific disorders.

Treatment planning

Using assessment data to structure therapeutic approaches.

DSM validity

Reliability of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

MMPI 3

Latest version focusing on psychopathology factors.

Concurrent validity

Measures taken simultaneously to assess correlation.

Predictive validity

One measure forecasts another taken later.

Construct validity

Consistency and correlation of test results.

Discriminant validity

Unrelated measures showing no correlation.

Test anxiety

Anxiety specifically related to testing situations.

SES

Socioeconomic status, unrelated to test anxiety.

General traits

Broad characteristics identified through personality tests.

Paranoia

Feeling of being constantly watched or judged.

OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, characterized by intrusive thoughts.

Basic causes of distress

Fundamental issues leading to psychological discomfort.

Eye contact interpretation

Non-verbal cues revealing psychological states.

Choice of seating

Behavioral cues indicating comfort or discomfort.

Validity concerns

Questions regarding the accuracy of assessments.

Psychological tests

Tools for evaluating mental health and personality.

Standardized way

Uniform method for administering tests.

Ambiguous responses

Varied interpretations based on individual perspectives.

Clinical interviews

Conversations aimed at understanding psychological issues.

Personality traits

Distinct characteristics influencing behavior and thoughts.

Research link

Connection between assessments and effective treatments.

Cost of tests

Financial implications of administering psychological assessments.