Deck 11: Personality Assessment: an Overview

Question 1

A person of interest's postings on social media can be revealing with respect to all of the following EXCEPT

A) an individual's daily activities.
B) an individual's financial resources.
C) an individual's interests.
D) an individual's delusional beliefs.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The tool of assessment that Dr.Rick Malone tends to rely on most is what Dr.Malone refers to

A) a threat assessment protocol.
B) sequential threat evaluation.
C) qualitative sequential assessment.
D) structured professional judgment.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Structured professional judgment is an approach to threat assessment that

A) attempts to bridge the gap between actuarial and unstructured clinical approaches.
B) relies on evidence-based guidelines that are directly informed by the scientific and professional literature.
C) allows assessors discretion in their interpretations of clinical data.
D) All of these

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Meloy's (2000)biopsychosocial (BPS)model identifies individual/psychological factors,social/situational factors,and biological factors that have been shown to be associated with

A) successful execution of a threat made.
B) higher rates of interpersonal violence.
C) analogue models of attempted threats.
D) computer models of copycat crimes.

Question 5

For Colonel Rick Malone,the practice of threat assessment entails,among other things,the gathering of intelligence designed to protect senior Department of Defense officials who are referred to as "principals".

A) dignitaries
B) protectees
C) principals
D) VIPs

Question 6

When conducting a threat assessment using Meloy's biopsychosocial model,information derived from public records will be evaluated for evidence of ________ behavior,according to that model.

A) high threat
B) warning
C) high risk
D) condition red

Question 7

Dr.Rick Malone's threat management team decides whether to proceed with an investigation and/or take steps to mitigate the threat based on

A) Interpol's evaluation of the level of the existing threat.
B) the amount and quality of information in hand, as well as the team's level of concern.
C) how imminent the threat is in terms of communications made by the person of interest.
D) All of these

Question 8

Dr.Rick Malone's threat management team is tasked with balancing personal and public safety needs against all citizens'

A) right to privacy.
B) right of free speech.
C) right not to be falsely imprisoned.
D) All of these

Question 9

According to Dr.Rick Malone,the disadvantages of a strictly actuarial approach to threat assessment include the fact that such approaches typically

A) prohibit the assessor from considering unique, unusual, or context-specific variables.
B) provide the assessor with excessive leeway to consider unique, unusual, or context-specific variables.
C) deny the assessor unrestricted access to critical information due to HIPPA or related laws regarding confidentiality or privilege.
D) None of these

Question 10

According to Dr.Rick Malone,the best source of data for making inferences as to how dangerous persons of interest actually are may be

A) publicly available information about the person of interest such as arrest records.
B) electronic postings that were posted about the person of interest by friends and family.
C) communications created by those person themselves, such as postings on social media.
D) publicly available information about the person of interest such as arrest records and electronic postings that were posted about the person of interest by friends and family.

Question 11

The word "structured" in the term structured professional judgement

A) refers to a minimum set of factors that should be considered in a threat assessment.
B) is controversial since the approach does not restrict the ways that risk factors may be measured.
C) is a reference to guidelines for combining risk factors according to an applicable algorithm.
D) None of these

Question 12

Unstructured approaches to threat assessment based solely on clinical judgement are vulnerable to criticism regarding

A) the reliability of the judgments.
B) the validity of the judgements.
C) the accountability of the assessor.
D) All of these

Question 13

After a threat has been perceived,what is done in response? According to Dr.Rick Malone,all of the following are true EXCEPT:

A) In some cases, due to relatively limited resources, not very much is done.
B) Threat assessors will prioritize communications in terms of which warrant a response and what the level of that response should be.
C) For starters, a brief assessment will be conducted to estimate the level of concern that the threat warrants.
D) A formal investigation consisting of examination of public records will be launched.

Question 14

Dr.Rick Malone mentioned all of the following possible consequences of threat assessment investigative activities EXCEPT:

A) The investigation can have a significant negative impact on the person of interest's life due to the revelation of questionable behavior to friends, family, and business associates.
B) The investigation may inadvertently expand the nature of the threat, causing friends, family, business associates or others to become objects of the threat.
C) The investigation may "tip-off" the person of interest, causing that person to immediately cease any threat-related activities.
D) The investigation may "tip-off" the person of interest, causing that person to immediately escalate any threat-related activities.

Question 15

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),threat assessment may be defined as a process of identifying or evaluating entities,actions,or occurrences,whether natural or man-made,that

A) the DHS has deemed to be life-threatening or otherwise potentially harmful.
B) Interpol has determined poses an imminent danger to persons or organizational entities.
C) have or indicate the potential to harm life, information, operations and/or property.
D) All of these

Question 16

When gauging the level of threat,postings on social media are evaluated.Of particular concern to assessors are communications that contain each of the following EXCEPT

A) an outright or direct threat made to the public figure.
B) an inappropriate plea for help addressed to the public figure.
C) an unsolicited request to the public figure for employment.
D) an angry complaint about, or addressed to, the public figure.

Question 17

Colonel Rick Malone is an active duty military forensic psychiatrist,currently serving as a behavioral science officer with the U.S.Army Criminal Investigation Command.His duties include all of the following EXCEPT

A) conducting medical fitness-for-duty evaluations for U.S. Army personnel.
B) consulting with his agency's agents on investigations.
C) behavioral analysis of crime scene evidence.
D) conducting psychological autopsies.

Question 18

According to Dr.Rick Malone,which is true about Meloy's (2000)biopsychosocial (BPS)model?

A) It assigns numerical scores to threat levels.
B) It does not assign ranges for threat levels.
C) It was specifically created to asses threats against public figures.
D) All of these

Question 19

According to Dr.Rick Malone,a circumstance where a threat assessment will be launched occurs when one individual _________.

A) has demonstrated an "inappropriate direction of interest" towards a public figure
B) has attempted to communicate directly with a public figure by telephone, mail, or e-mail
C) physically approached a public figure in an inappropriate way
D) All of these

Question 20

Effective assessment and mitigation of threat requires the ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team with a diverse group of professionals.Which of the following groups was NOT cited by Dr.Rick Malone as being a member of the threat assessment team?

A) mental health professionals
B) prosecutors
C) judges
D) corporate security experts

Question 21

In general,the researchers' hypotheses in the Karisoke study of gorilla personality were _____.

A) confirmed by the resulting data
B) not confirmed by the resulting data
C) left for future research to be unequivocally confirmed or disconfirmed
D) deemed to be incomplete, given the loss of the French data

Question 22

In the Karisoke study of the personality of gorillas,an item such as "Subject may express high status by decisively intervening in social interactions" was a measure of the personality trait of

A) sociability.
B) aggression.
C) dominance.
D) resourcefulness.

Question 23

In the Karisoke study of gorilla personality,inter-rater reliability was found to be ____ among the ____ raters.

A) satisfactory; 4
B) satisfactory; 8
C) unsatisfactory; 8
D) unsatisfactory; 2

Question 24

Data analysis for the Karisoke gorilla personality research entailed evaluation of correlations between scores on personality trait dimensions and corresponding

A) field ratings recorded within one week of the ratings on the personality dimensions.
B) codings on specially devised behavior rating scale.
C) historical behavior of the subjects as noted in archival records.
D) All of these

Question 25

According to Eckardt and Weiss,one of the longest-existing primate research field sites,with almost 50 years of mountain gorilla monitoring,is a research center located in

A) near Atlanta in the United States.
B) Botswana.
C) Kenya.
D) Rwanda.

Question 26

What is the significance of the Karisoke gorilla personality research?

A) Insights about the evolution of personality traits can be gleaned by comparing the personality of humans with those of our closest, non-human relatives.
B) The study of great apes holds the promise of learning how assorted variables (such as differences in ecology, social systems, and life history) may act to shape personality.
C) both insights about the evolution of personality traits can be gleaned by comparing the personality of humans with those of our closest, non-human relatives and the study of great apes holds the promise of learning how assorted variables (such as differences in ecology, social systems, and life history) may act to shape personality.
D) None of these

Question 27

Because the gorillas studied in the Karisoke personality project live in stable and predictable environments with limited food competition and little vulnerability to stressors,the researchers hypothesized that the subjects would be rated low on

A) sociability.
B) dominance.
C) neuroticism.
D) self-control.

Question 28

According to Dr.Rick Malone,students who are drawn to threat assessment work should make sure that they have a solid grounding in _____ psychology.

A) personality
B) clinical
C) forensic
D) All of these

Question 29

The primary question of interest for the researchers of the Karisoke Research Center could be summed-up as,

A) "What traits make a gorilla a good leader?"
B) "How do gorilla traits differ from human traits?"
C) "What similarities exist between human and gorilla leaders?"
D) "What makes for a 'good personality' among gorillas?"

Question 30

The personality test used in the Karisoke study of the personality of gorillas was prepared in both English and French because

A) the gorillas had been spoken to only in French by the field guides.
B) the test had originally been developed by a French-speaking anthropologist.
C) some of the tests were administered by researchers from the Sorbonne in Paris, and Oxford University in England.
D) None of these

Question 31

Cantsbee was found to be exemplary in terms of what constitutes a good gorilla leader.Which of the following is NOT true about Cantsbee?

A) Cantsbee scored high on dominance.
B) Cantsbee was approached and groomed by other gorillas.
C) Cantsbee tended to stare at other gorillas in the group.
D) Cantsbee mediated social conflicts between gorillas in the group.

Question 32

According to Eckardt and Weiss,the personality test used with the gorillas at the Karisoke research center yielded data on traits

A) unique to mountain gorillas.
B) reminiscent of human "Big 5" traits.
C) typically observed in pre-adolescent humans.
D) first identified in the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 33

According to Eckardt and Weiss,Cantsbee got his name owing to the fact that Dian Fossey had

A) imported his parents from a city with that name.
B) thought his mother was a male.
C) once had a beloved pet of the same name.
D) could not believe what an exemplary leaders his father was.

Question 34

Which BEST describes a tool used to construct personality test items by means of logic?

A) clinical information
B) endorsement of items by members of a particular clinical group
C) creation of items by means of factor analysis
D) All of these

Question 35

In the Karisoke study of the personality of gorillas,raters were instructed to score gorillas on each trait using a _____ scale ranging from (1)"either total absence or negligible amounts" to (7)"extremely large amounts."

A) ratio
B) Likert
C) semantic differential
D) folivorous

Question 36

When he turned __-years-old,a mountain gorilla named Cantsbee took over the leadership of what was to become the largest,ever-observed gorilla group.

A) 12
B) 17
C) 21
D) 24

Question 37

The test used in the study of gorilla personality by the researchers in Karisoke contained how many items?

A) 14
B) 24
C) 34
D) 54

Question 38

Consider the list of terms that follows: happy
Sad
Smart
Challenged
Assertive
A list like this one is BEST associated with which type of test of personality?

A) a free-choice test
B) a sentence completion test
C) an adjective checklist
D) a true-false test

Question 39

Type A Personality and Type B Personality are two terms closely associated with

A) the Self-Directed Search.
B) the Jenkins Activity Survey.
C) MMPI-2.
D) contestants on Let's Make a Deal.

Question 40

The researchers studying gorilla personality at the Karisoke Research Center used which personality test?

A) California Personality Inventory
B) Personality Inventory for Children
C) 16-PF
D) Hominoid Personality Questionnaire

Question 41

Bushman and Wells had high school hockey players complete a pre-season,self-report measure of aggressiveness.The pre-season measure of aggressiveness was shown to

A) predict the number of penalty minutes served.
B) be negatively related to the number of penalty minutes served.
C) predict the total number of goals scored.
D) None of these

Question 42

In the title of the test known as the MMPI-A,the "A" stands for

A) Adult.
B) Adolescent.
C) Form "A".
D) Alternate Form.

Question 43

A measure of anxiety contains 100 statements written in an agree/disagree format.Maxime indicates disagreement with each one of the statements.From this limited amount of information,it seems reasonable to say that

A) Maxime may be trying to present himself in a favorable light.
B) Maxime may be exhibiting a non-acquiescent response tendency.
C) Maxime may be exhibiting a response set characterized by deviance.
D) Maxime may be responding in a socially desirable manner.

Question 44

Gosling's cross-species work in personality assessment has suggested that differences in the personality of dogs exist and can be

A) reliably measured.
B) distinguished by breed.
C) inherited from one generation to the next.
D) All of these

Question 45

"The unique way people interpret and make sense of their perceptions as a consequence of their learning experiences,cultural background,and related variables." This is a definition of which of the following terms?

A) instrumental values
B) terminal values
C) worldview
D) acculturation

Question 46

A key definitional difference between the terms personality trait and personality state has to do with

A) the extent to which personality is viewed as a physical attribute.
B) how stable over time the characteristic is exhibited.
C) whether or not the characteristic is subject to a halo effect.
D) the motivation of the person or persons doing the rating.

Question 47

The MMPI was originally developed by Starke R.Hathaway and A.Robert Sessions Woodworth.
B)John Charnley McKinley.
C)James C.Lingoes.
D)R.E.Harris.

Question 48

Which test BEST exemplifies a tool of assessment developed on the basis of logic and reason?

A) the MMPI
B) the CPI
C) the Blacky Pictures Test
D) the Personal Data Sheet

Question 49

Takumi completes a self-report inventory of personality.Generalizing from what you read in Chapter 11,the best person to ask to complete that same inventory to learn about Takumi would be

A) a close family member of Takumi.
B) a classmate or fellow employee of Takumi.
C) someone who was just introduced to Takumi.
D) None of these

Question 50

A clinician has her clients rate every therapy session on a seven-point rating scale with "helpful" on one end,and "not helpful" on the other.This clinician is using a method of assessment called

A) the semantic differential.
B) forced-choice format.
C) adjective checklist format.
D) None of these

Question 51

In the OSS blown bridge evaluation,assistants of the candidate being evaluated

A) were responsible for getting the necessary parts.
B) were responsible for all of the "heavy lifting."
C) might take command of the task at any time.
D) did more to frustrate efforts than help.

Question 52

Psychologists have embraced "the Big 5" big time,and a number of tests have been developed to measure the Big 5.Which of the following is NOT a test that was developed to measure the Big 5?

A) the NEO-PI-R
B) the Big Five Inventory (BFI)
C) the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI)
D) the 16-PF

Question 53

In Chapter 11 of your textbook,reference was made to a study that entailed the measurement of attachment security in

A) elementary school children using the BYI-II.
B) blue-fronted Amazon parakeets using speech recognition patterns.
C) high school students using the Self-Directed Search.
D) rhesus monkeys using Q-sort methodology.

Question 54

Pre-production legal work on the film The Three Faces of Eve entailed getting Eve White,Eve Black,and Jane to sign contracts with the producer.The patient was asked to elicit these three different personalities and then sign a contract.The signatures on the three contracts were determined to be

A) completely different as a function of the personality.
B) all pretty much the same according to a graphologist.
C) all consistent with a fourth personality elicited by the patient.
D) valid but only because the patient signed each contract with an "X."

Question 55

According to the findings of Donahue et al.,people with low levels of self-concept differentiation

A) tend to be less healthy physically.
B) tend to be healthier psychologically.
C) tend to have a less unified sense of self.
D) None of these

Question 56

Relatively few personality tests seek to distinguish traits from states.One test that does make this distinction is

A) the MMPI-2-RF.
B) the STAI.
C) the Self-Directed Search.
D) the CPI.

Question 57

FBS with regard to the MMPI

A) stands for "Faking Bad Scale" and it is used to detect malingerers.
B) was a validity scale proposed by Lees-Haley, et al.
C) was criticized by MMPI author James Butcher.
D) All of these

Question 58

Psychologist John Holland was BEST known for

A) a research program that led to the development of the Big 5.
B) a controversy regarding the primacy of states versus traits.
C) a theory that occupational choice depends on personality.
D) a tunnel linking New York and New Jersey, named in his honor.

Question 59

Which test would be appropriate for use with a seven-year-old child?

A) The BYI-II Depression Inventory
B) The BYI-II Self-Concept Inventory
C) The BYI-II Anxiety Inventory
D) All of these

Question 60

"Certain personality traits exist in all people to varying degrees.The assessor's task is to determine what the strength of each of these traits are in the assessee." We would be MOST likely to hear this statement from one who

A) has never taken a course in psychological testing and assessment.
B) views testing and assessment from a nomothetic viewpoint.
C) views testing and assessment from an idiographic viewpoint.
D) views testing and assessment from an ipsative perspective.

Question 61

A personality trait

A) is relatively enduring.
B) is distinguishable.
C) varies within and between individuals.
D) All of these

Question 62

An implication of terms such as self-concept differentiation is that

A) personality traits can be fragmented.
B) the more unified one's self-perception, the better.
C) traits are context dependent.
D) None of these

Question 63

The history of personality types dates at least as far back as the days of

A) Hippocrates.
B) Jung.
C) Freud.
D) Thorndike.

Question 64

What is a likely consequence if a rating checklist consistently elicits a wide-ranging variety of opinions from various raters?

A) The test will have little utility.
B) The test will have high internal consistency.
C) The test will have lower inter-rater reliability.
D) All of these

Question 65

Which of the following is TRUE of personality traits?

A) They tend to stabilize in adulthood after age 40.
B) They decrease in consistency after age 30.
C) Consistency first begins at 18.
D) None of these

Question 66

People characterized as "highly differentiated" are likely to

A) experience self-perception disorders.
B) be extremely thin.
C) see themselves much the same way most of the time.
D) None of these

Question 67

According to Roberts and DelVecchio (2000),trait consistency tends to increase until one is between _________ years of age,at which time it peaks.

A) 10 and 20
B) 30 and 40
C) 40 and 50
D) 50 and 60

Question 68

A personality profile based on psychological test results typically represents the extent to which a person has provided evidence of the existence of certain personality

A) traits.
B) states.
C) tendencies.
D) Both traits and states.

Question 69

The Self-Directed Search Tests are based on six personality

A) moods.
B) states.
C) types.
D) dispositions.

Question 70

The assumption that a constellation of traits and states may be used to identify a particular category of personality is inherent in

A) a taxonomy of personality.
B) a personality typology.
C) a personality disposition.
D) an astrological sign.

Question 71

The lower test-retest reliability coefficients found to exist for state anxiety when compared with higher test-retest reliability coefficients obtained for trait anxiety support which premise?

A) Traits are more enduring personality characteristics than states.
B) States are more enduring personality characteristics than traits.
C) Exhibition of anxiety is very situation-dependent.
D) None of these

Question 72

On a test,an assessee chooses how to end an incomplete sentence by writing-in the end of the sentence.The format of the test could BEST be described as

A) sentence completion.
B) fill-in-the-blank.
C) free-choice.
D) All of these

Question 73

A lack of cross-situational consistency in traits has been demonstrated to exist with respect to

A) honesty.
B) attitudes toward authority.
C) introversion-extraversion.
D) All of these

Question 74

Asking testtakers to indicate how they feel "at this moment" versus how they feel "in general" is an attempt to

A) obtain as much information about the testtakers as possible.
B) distinguish between various traits and states.
C) determine if the testtakers are responding truthfully.
D) evaluate certain topic areas listed in the classic song, Feelings.

Question 75

On the Self-Directed Search,terms such as Artistic,Enterprising,and Investigative are examples of

A) personality types.
B) personality states.
C) inclinations.
D) careers.

Question 76

A homeless person who prefers the environs of the street to a shelter or mental hospital may attempt to

A) fake bad on a test of psychopathology.
B) fake good on a test of psychopathology.
C) respond as candidly as possible on a test of psychopathology.
D) be cooperative with the test administrator.

Question 77

Which BEST describes what is typically measured in personality assessment?

A) social and communication skills
B) traits and states
C) charisma
D) creativity and motivation

Question 78

Research on psychological traits reveals

A) strong cross-situational consistency in traits such as honesty.
B) a lack of cross-situational consistency in traits such as honesty.
C) clear evidence that traits physically exist in the brain.
D) None of these

Question 79

The research of Gosling et al.(2003)can be summarized by stating simply that

A) rhesus monkeys exhibit motivated behavior.
B) dogs have personality.
C) differences in personality are inherited in mice.
D) personality is multifaceted in parrots.

Question 80

An advantage of a personality test that is atheoretical in nature is that

A) test users can interpret the test according to their own theoretical preferences.
B) the test will, in all likelihood, be more valid than a theory-based test.
C) the test is much more likely to be "culture-specific" as well.
D) the test is much more likely to be "culture-fair" as well.