The purpose of this assignment is to develop an understanding of different methods of
personality assessment. Weekly papers provide an opportunity for students to apply critical
thinking skills to discover the relative strengths and weaknesses of each approach to personality
assessment.
Objectives
1. Students will develop an understanding of key psychometric concepts including concepts
of reliability and validity.
2. Students will explore ethical responsibilities associated with conducting personality
assessments, and will identify critical competencies required for accurate and ethical
scoring and interpretation of assessments.
3. Students will analyze the relative strengths and weaknesses of self-report versus
performance-based methods of personality assessment.
4. Students will be able to describe methods, intended purposes, and information yielded
from established personality measures including the self-report inventories such as
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Millon Clinical Mutli-Axis
Inventory (MCMI), as well as performance-based measures such as the Rorschach
Inkblot Measure, and House-Tree Person technique.
Preparation Instructions
1. Compose papers using Microsoft Word.
2. The paper should be formatted and typed using Times New Roman, 12-point font,
double-spaced, and one-inch margins (no exceptions).
3. Papers must be 2-3 pages in length and MUST follow APA format. (Points will be
deducted for failure to adhere to APA guidelines.)
4. Each paper must reference a minimum of 1 source (published books, textbook, or peer
reviewed journal articles).
5. You will be allowed to reference a credible website.
Content Instructions
Follow the instructions for each week’s paper requirements:
1. Week 2 –
a. Describe the purpose of personality assessment and utilizations of it?
b. What is reliability and its importance?
c. What is validity and its importance?
Updated: 03/06/2018
d. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages (according to the text) of self-report
measures.
2. Week 3 –
a. Name and describe at least 4 competencies for giving tests in PA
b. Identify 2 key components in scoring and test interpretation
c. What are some of the most important factors in selecting and administering self-
report inventories?
d. What are some of the key ethical responsibilities that a clinician must be aware of
when administering and interpreting personality assessments?
3. Week 4 –
a. Provide a description of how the MMPI was created.
b. Provide a brief description of 3 specific clinical scales.
c. Provide a description of 3 specific validity scales and how they are used in the
interpretation process
d. What is a codetype? How is a person’s codetype determined?
e. Discuss the uses and pros/cons of the MMPI-2.
4. Week 5 –
a. Describe the intended purposes and uses of the MCMI-3.
b. Provide a description of each of the scales in this assessment.
c. Compare and contrast the MMPI to the MCMI-3. What are some advantage of
the MCMI-3 over the MMPI? what are some weaknesses of the MCMI-3
compared to the MMPI?
5. Week 6 –
a. Define the term “projective” as it applies to personality assessment. How is a
projective test different from an objective one?
b. What are the intended uses and purposes of the Rorschach inkblot test?
c. How are the client’s responses interpreted?
d. The Rorschach inkblots yield three sources of data. Describe these 3 sources.
e. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Rorschach inkblot test?
6. Week 7 –
a. Describe the methods and purposes of the HTP technique. What are some
inquiry questions for the HTP technique and how does this give the examiner
clinical information?
b. Describe the methods and purposes of the DAP technique. Discuss one interpretation of a feature drawn in the DAP technique.
