PSYC 351 Chapter 3

What are the three main methods used in psychological assessment?

Interviews, observations, psychological tests and inventories

What's the difference between structured and unstructured interviews?

They vary in degree of structure and formality; both are used to observe the client and collect data about life history, current situation, and personality

What is the objective of a Mental Status Examination (MSE), and what does it use to accomplish this?

To evaluate cognitive, psychological, and behavioral functioning, using structured questions, open-ended inquiries, observations, and tasks (e.g., recalling words, naming the president)

During an MSE, the clinician considers domains like appearance, mood, affect, speech, thought process, and thought content. What important caveat did the lecture note about this exam?

Many aspects are subjective, and the client's cultural background (e.g., eye contact, body posture) can influence the assessment

List the 3 kinds of projective personality tests covered in lecture

The Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test, and Sentence Completion Test

What are the main criticisms of projective personality tests? (3)

They don't meet reliability and validity standards, interpretation varies widely, and they may have limited cultural relevance

The MMPI is an example of which assessment method?

A self-report inventory

What are the primary functions of intelligence tests like the WAIS and WISC?

To obtain an IQ / estimate of current cognitive functioning and provide clinical data (they're also the most widely used intelligence tests, yielding an overall score plus 4 area scores)

What are the main criticisms of intelligence tests? (4)

They may largely reflect cultural/social factors rather than innate intelligence, fail to account for language proficiency/culture/poverty/discrimination, don't capture multidimensional intelligence, and have poor predictive validity

What is the DSM, and roughly how many conditions did the original DSM-I (1952) identify?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Conditions; DSM-I identified 106 mental conditions

What must be true of symptoms for a DSM diagnosis to apply, and what other classification system also covers mental conditions?

Symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment in functioning; the ICD (International Classification of Disease), now in its 11th edition, also covers all health conditions including mental ones

What is the purpose of the Cultural Formulation Interview mentioned in the DSM-5-TR?

A set of questions (about 16) to help determine the possible impact of culture on a client's symptoms, including how they describe their problem to others and what their community believes is causing it