Question

Test of Personality/Psychopathology:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, 2 (MMPI-2)

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 2 (MCMI-III)

16-PF Myers-Briggs NEO-PI-R

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the three tests you selected. Then explain appropriate uses of these tests. Finally, describe how you might use each test in a specific context and provide a rationale for using each test in the context described.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references:

Readings

Anastasi, A., & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Chapter 17, “Major Contexts of Current Test Use”

American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Chapter 4, “Test Design and Development”

Reckase, M. D. (1996). Test construction in the 1990s: Recent approaches every psychologist should know. Psychological Assessment, 8(4), 354–359.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Schwarz, N., & Oyserman, D. (2001). Asking questions about behavior: Cognition, communication, and questionnaire construction. American Journal of Evaluation, 22(2), 127–160.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Wiggins, J. S., & Pincus, A. L. (1992). Personality structure and assessment. Annual Review of Psychology, 43, 473–504.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Answer 1

• Inventory (MMPI) is a psychological test that assesses personality traits and psychopathology. It is primarily intended to test people who are suspected of having mental health or other clinical issues.
• The MMPI is currently commonly administered in one of two forms — the MMPI-2, which has 567 true/false questions, and the newer MMPI-2-RF, published in 2008 and containing only 338 true/false items. While the MMPI-2-RF is a newer measure and takes about half the time to complete (usually 30 to 50 minutes), the MMPI-2 is still the more widely used test because of its existing large research base and familiarity with psychologists.
• The MMPI-2 is designed with 10 clinical scales which assess 10 major categories of abnormal human behavior, and four validity scales, which assess the person’s general test-taking attitude and whether they answered the items on the test in a truthful and accurate manner.
• The MMPI is used to screen for personality and psychosocial disorders in adults (i.e., over age 18) and adolescents age 14 to 18. It is also frequently administered as part of a neuropsychological test battery to evaluate cognitive functioning.The MMPI-2 is used in mental health, medical and employment settings.
• The MMPI-2 has been utilized in other fields outside of clinical psychology. The test is often used in legal cases, including criminal defense and custody disputes. The test has also been used as a screening instrument for certain professions, especially high-risk jobs, although the use of the MMPI in this manner has been controversial.
• The test is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs, including substance abuse programs.
• Based on Theodore Millon, Ph.D., D.Sc.’s Evolutionary Theory of personality and psychopathology, the brief Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) instrument provides a measure of 24 personality disorders and clinical syndromes for adults undergoing psychological or psychiatric assessment or treatment.
• Specifically designed to help assess both Axis I and Axis II disorders, this psychological test assists clinicians in psychiatric diagnosis, developing a treatment approach that takes into account the patient’s personality style and coping behavior, and guiding treatment decisions based on the patient’s personality pattern.
• The MCMI-III is composed of 175 true-false questions and usually takes the average person less than 30 minutes to complete. After the test is scored, it produces 29 scales — 24 personality and clinical scales, and 5 scales used to verify how the person approached and took the test.
• The MCMI-III provides information about the presence of psychological disorders including personality disorders.  Although not originally validated in forensic populations, and in spite of limited research with forensic subjects, it is increasingly being used in forensic practice.
• Cattrell's personality factors have been included in the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) that is widely used today. It is used for career counseling in education and vocational guidance. In business, it is used in personnel selection, especially for choosing managers. It is also used in clinical diagnosis and to plan therapy by assessing anxiety, adjustment, and behavioral problems.
• The fifth and current edition of the 16PF measures the well-known l6 personality factors, plus it summarizes these factors into five global factors which again bear similarity to the well-known “Big Five.” The global factors are: extroversion, anxiety, tough-mindedness, independence, and self-control.
• The test is composed of forced-choice questions in which the respondent must choose one of three different alternatives. Personality traits are then represented by a range and the individual's score falls somewhere on the continuum between highest and lowest extremes.
• The 16PF provides a measure of normal personality and can also be used by psychologists, and other mental health professionals, as a clinical instrument to help diagnose psychiatric disorders, as well as help with prognosis and therapy planning.
• The 16PF has applicability in clinical, educational, organizational, and research settings.