Deck 12: Personality Assessment Methods

Question 1

The lack of standardization in phallometrics is due in part to

A) a plethora of scoring systems.
B) a plethora of methodologies.
C) both a plethora of scoring systems and a plethora of methodologies.
D) None of these

Answer 1

C

Question 2

On the basis of their factor-analytic study,Sharp et al.(2015)concluded that the nine criteria for borderline personality loaded most strongly,and virtually exclusively,on the

A) general (g) factor, with little trace of s (the specific factor) to be found.
B) specific (s) factor, with little trace of g (the general factor) to be found.
C) error (e) factor, with roughly equivalent traces of the general (g) and specific (s) factors.
D) specific (s) factor, with roughly equivalent traces of the general (g) and error (e) factors.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the Sharp et al.(2015)study,in order to determine if a subject met the criteria for borderline personality disorder,a clinician would interview the patient and determine that ____ of the 9 diagnostic criteria had been met.

A) at least 5
B) at least 6
C) no more than 8
D) all 9

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Although phallometric data have increasingly been introduced into evidence in American and Canadian courts,concerns have been raised about the ___ of such data.

A) reliability and validity
B) utility
C) reliability and validity and utility
D) None of these

Question 5

Woods and Anderson (2016)are among those researchers working to find common ground between behavioral conceptualizations of psychopathology and ____ conceptualizations.

A) DSM-5
B) biopsychosocial
C) medical-modeled
D) person-centered

Question 6

How many patients constituted the sample in the Sharp et al.(2015)study?

A) nearly 100
B) nearly 500
C) nearly 1,000
D) nearly 1,500

Question 7

In the Sharp et al.(2015)study,in order for a patient to meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder,the symptoms must

A) have been present in a variety of settings.
B) have been present for at least two years.
C) not have been better explained by any other disorder.
D) All of these

Question 8

The "all-or-none error" as applied to the DSM diagnostic system for diagnosing personality disorders refers to the fact that according to that system,

A) one either has or has not a personality disorder.
B) either all of the diagnostic elements of a personality disorder exist, or none do.
C) a personality disorder diagnosis is either valid or not.
D) a personality disorder diagnosis is either reliable or not.

Question 9

The research of Carla Sharp and her colleagues suggest that there may come a day when clinicians discuss general (g)and specific (s)factors in personality disorders in a way that is analogous to current discussions of g and s with respect to

A) biopsychosocial aspects of depression.
B) neuropsychological disorders.
C) intelligence.
D) personality in general.

Question 10

Although widely acknowledged to be of value in monitoring the progress in treatment of sex offenders,the value of phallometric data in criminal proceedings is

A) less straightforward.
B) far more well-documented.
C) undisputed by experts.
D) only accepted into evidence in the Dominican Republic.

Question 11

With regard to a DSM diagnosis of a personality disorder,Widiger & Trull (2007)opined that such disorders may more usefully be conceived and diagnosed

A) as psychopathology on a continuum.
B) as a dimension of psychopathology.
C) both as psychopathology on a continuum and as a dimension of psychopathology.
D) in a way that de-pathologize it.

Question 12

An inherent problem with phallometric methods is that the defendant's self-interest co-exists with a well-documented ability of the assessee to

A) "fake good."
B) do the best they can on the task.
C) purposely fail the task.
D) be first to finish the task.

Question 13

In one study of 105 Vietnam War veterans with chronic PTSD,the subjects were asked to keep a sleep diary over the course of six weeks.According to your text,the researchers found that shorter duration of sleep was correlated with

A) length of service in Vietnam.
B) degree of post-service adjustment.
C) depth of co-morbid depression.
D) severity of PTSD.

Question 14

According to Sheets & Craighead (2007)what is the short answer to the question? "How useful is a DSM diagnosis?"

A) "Not very."
B) "Pretty good."
C) "Very good."
D) "Nothing better."

Question 15

The relatively high co-morbidity rates that have been observed between different varieties of personality disorders,and between personality disorders and other psychiatric disorders,has raised questions regarding

A) the utility of the DSM.
B) the utility of the medical model as applied to personality disorders.
C) the reality of a DSM-based diagnosis of a personality disorder.
D) All of these

Question 16

Proposed improvements to the way that personality disorders are diagnosed have included

A) sharpening the specificity of existing diagnostic categorizations.
B) re-conceptualizing existing diagnostic categorizations.
C) ordering diagnoses along some dimension, such as severity of impairment.
D) All of these

Question 17

In order to calculate the number of cigarettes the number of cigarettes that the subjects in a stop-smoking study are smoking,the most practical method typically entails

A) behavioral observation.
B) self-report by individual subjects.
C) experimenter diary-keeping.
D) analogue recall.

Question 18

Sharp et al.(2015)interpreted their findings as suggesting that borderline personality disorder

A) is in many ways analogous to the specific (s) factor in conceptualizations of intelligence.
B) represents the core features of personality pathology in general.
C) is a much less severe disorder than previously thought.
D) has elemental features unique from other personality disorders.

Question 19

A study by Carla Sharp and colleagues (2015)study focused on the six most frequently diagnosed categories of personality disorder.Which was NOT a category of personality disorder studied by Sharp et al.?

A) schizotypal personality disorder
B) avoidant personality disorder
C) narcissistic personality disorder
D) unspecified personality disorder

Question 20

According to DSM-5,there are 9 criteria for borderline personality disorder.Which is NOT one of them?

A) chronic feelings of emptiness
B) paranoid ideation and dissociation
C) sleep disturbances
D) abandonment fears

Question 21

In your textbook,a distinction is made between a sign and a sample approach to assessment.The approach where test responses are treated as clues to the testtaker's underlying personality or abilities is the

A) sign approach.
B) sample approach.
C) projective approach.
D) None of these

Question 22

Hermann Rorschach developed a test he called

A) the Rorschach Inkblot Test.
B) the Object Discrimination Exercise.
C) the Form Interpretation Test.
D) Psychodiagnostics.

Question 23

An early projective test used _____ as projective stimuli.

A) clouds
B) water
C) spilled milk
D) symbols for astrological signs

Question 24

In 2011,the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS)was published.The R-PAS was characterized by its authors as

A) "a means of systematically observing and measuring personality in action."
B) "a new conceptualization of a proven projective method."
C) "a method for developing novel clinical hypotheses."
D) "a combination of evidence-based insights applied to an iconic projective method."

Question 25

All of the following are true about the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS)EXCEPT

A) According to its authors, it was created to compete with Exner's Comprehensive System.
B) According to its authors, it is supplemented by an online scoring program that calculates summary scores.
C) The R-PAS manual contains detailed instructions for administering the Rorschach.
D) The R-PAS manual contains detailed instructions for coding Rorschach responses.

Question 26

According to Dr.Monica Webb Hooper,assessment is a critical component of research because it

A) is a common thread in past and present research, as well as research yet to be devised.
B) is only through rigorous measurement that variables targeted in research may be operationalized, quantified, and ultimately, evaluated meaningfully.
C) is only through rigorous measurement that changes in specified behaviors can be meaningfully gauged.
D) All of these

Question 27

John

A) was the founding curator of the Hermann Rorschach Museum and Archives.
B) created a Rorschach scoring system that he called "the comprehensive system."
C) authored a book that reviewed several Rorschach scoring systems.
D) All of these
E) Exner, Jr.

Question 28

Projective instruments were originally developed in a spirit of rebellion against norm-referenced instruments.Today,projective instruments

A) remain independent of norms.
B) are either developed or converted to be norm-referenced.
C) are rebelling yet again, this time from the constraints of cultural sensitivity.
D) are the clinician's first choice to evaluate rebelliousness.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a category mentioned in the text by which a Rorschach response could be scored?

A) Color
B) Popularity
C) Content
D) Clarity

Question 30

Objective tests of personality have in common with many objective tests of achievement the fact that items on the test

A) typically contain only one correct answer.
B) can be scored by machine, by computer, or online.
C) have a sound grounding in theory.
D) All of these

Question 31

Dr.Monica Webb Hooper offered four recommendations to students interested in a career as a research psychologist.Which is NOT one of those recommendations?

A) Practice communicating assessment and research results to fellow professionals and the public.
B) Learn about test administration, scoring, and interpretation.
C) Submit a research article to a journal and pay close attention to the feedback.
D) Strive to understand the scientific basis for reliable and valid assessments.

Question 32

An element of a Rorschach administration is termed the inquiry.This term BEST refers to

A) all questions asked by the examiner.
B) the investigative process of the examiner.
C) the process of clarifying the original response.
D) the process of asking and then re-raising questions.

Question 33

In an effort to address longstanding criticisms related to the psychometric soundness of the Rorschach test,________ created another inkblot test.

A) Wayne Holtzman
B) David Rapaport
C) Carl Jung
D) Hans Behn-Eschenburg

Question 34

Which of the following groups of researchers would be MOST likely to make use of phallometric data?

A) researchers studying voting preferences
B) researchers studying pedophilia
C) researchers studying agoraphobia
D) researchers studying the validity of projective methods

Question 35

Monica Webb Hooper,the professional featured in Chapter 12's Meet an Assessment Professional,holds a Ph.D.in _____ psychology,with a specialization in health psychology.

A) social
B) developmental
C) clinical
D) organizational

Question 36

A 100-item true/false test of extraversion is constructed so that every True response is indicative of extraversion,and every False response is indicative of introversion.Mei Ling answers True to every item on the test.What can the test user conclude?

A) Mei Ling is extremely extraverted.
B) Mei Ling has well documented tendencies toward extraversion.
C) Mei Ling may be extraverted.
D) Mei Ling is clearly not introverted.

Question 37

As concluded in Chapter 12,the semantic distinction between objective and projective tests

A) is meaningful, especially as it relates to the content of the items.
B) should be abandoned because there is really no difference between them.
C) is only meaningful to the extent that each relies heavily on self-report.
D) has meaning insofar as the mechanisms typically used for scoring.

Question 38

According to Dr.Monica Webb Hooper,which behavior is "grossly underestimated in terms of its threat to good health"?

A) unprotected sex
B) overeating
C) smoking
D) physical inactivity

Question 39

The limitations of the Sharp et al.(2015)study that were cited in your textbook included the fact that

A) It focused exclusively on the six personality disorders that are described in Section II of the DSM.
B) It did not focus on the ten personality disorders described in Section II of the DSM.
C) It used an inpatient sample of subject, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings.
D) All of these

Question 40

Various research studies conducted by Dr.Monica Webb Hooper touch on all of the following EXCEPT

A) social psychology.
B) public health.
C) psychoanalytic psychology.
D) biobehavioral oncology.

Question 41

A device that could be characterized as "auditory inkblots" was developed by

A)Carl Rogers.
B)B.F.Skinner.
C)Harry Stack Sullivan.
D)Wayne Holtzman.

Question 42

Questioning the utility of the projective/objective distinction,Weiner proposed that the dichotomy be changed to one labeled

A) personally invested versus personally distanced.
B) transparent versus obscured.
C) ambiguous versus unambiguous.
D) structured versus unstructured.

Question 43

According to Emanuel Hammer,people project their self-image or self-concept in

A) figure drawings.
B) paintings.
C) dreams.
D) All of these.

Question 44

Ecological momentary assessment is essentially a behavioral record

A) of the "here and now."
B) that gauges duration.
C) that entails verbal input.
D) that is future-oriented.

Question 45

Some have said that different TAT cards have different "stimulus pulls." By this it is meant that different TAT cards have different

A) form demands.
B) latent stimulus demands.
C) variations on the same theme.
D) frequent plots.

Question 46

In this test,the testtaker's task is filling-in what the people in a cartoon-like stimulus might be saying or thinking.

A) The Children's Apperception Test-Human
B) The Roberts Apperception Test for Children
C) The Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study
D) None of these

Question 47

The timeline-followback procedure is essentially a behavioral record

A) of the "here and now."
B) that gauges duration.
C) of the past.
D) that is future-oriented.

Question 48

In 1907,an early study using pictures as projective stimuli for storytelling found differences as a function of

A) religion.
B) gender.
C) age.
D) race.

Question 49

With regard to scoring the TAT,

A) most examiners use the scoring manual packaged with the test.
B) most examiners use the scoring manual written by Christiana Morgan.
C) most examiners use independent, online scoring services.
D) None of these

Question 50

Each item of the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank is scored on a 7-point scale with points ranging from

A) "typical" to "atypical."
B) "in harmony with the world" to "danger to oneself and others."
C) "need for therapy" to "extremely good adjustment."
D) None of these

Question 51

The oracle-like,clinical orientation has been characterized as the third ear approach.According to your textbook,this orientation has been replaced by what might be termed

A) the El Greco approach.
B) the van Gogh approach.
C) the Monet approach.
D) the Pablo Picasso approach.

Question 52

To what extent are traditional psychometric standards applicable to behavioral assessment? According to your textbook,

A) Cone argued that reliability and validity were both relevant.
B) Cone argued that reliability and validity were both not relevant.
C) Bellak and Hersen argued that reliability and validity were both relevant.
D) All of these

Question 53

According to Karen Machover on the interpretation of data derived from a Draw-A-Person test,the person drawn represents the person doing the drawing.Additionally,the paper on which the figure is drawn represents

A) the environment.
B) the individual's superego.
C) the individual's dreams and aspirations.
D) reality demands.

Question 54

Sign is to sample,as traditional is to

A) objective.
B) projective.
C) behavioral.
D) None of these

Question 55

Which test does NOT belong because it is a different type of test?

A) The Kent-Rosanoff Free Association Test
B) The Blacky Pictures Test
C) TEMAS
D) The School Apperception Method

Question 56

Timeline-followback procedure is to ecological momentary assessment,as past is to

A) present.
B) antecedent.
C) consequence.
D) the "there and then."

Question 57

The Word Association Test was developed at the Menninger Clinic by David Rapaport and colleagues.Rapaport's inspiration for developing this test came from word association experiments initially conducted by

A) Sigmund Freud.
B) Carl Jung.
C) Karen Horney.
D) Sandor Ferenczi.

Question 58

The packaged set of TAT cards is published with _____ cards in the set.

A) 18
B) 23
C) 31
D) 42

Question 59

Complete this Arthur Jensen quote: "The rate of scientific progress in clinical psychology might well be measured by the speed and thoroughness with which _____

A) it accepts tests like the Rorschach."
B) it rejects projective techniques as unreliable and invalid."
C) it gets over the Rorschach."
D) it understands the need for normed projective measures."

Question 60

Scott Lilienfeld and Bernard Murstein

A) have both argued in favor of projective techniques.
B) have both written critiques of projective techniques.
C) are on opposing sides when it comes to projective techniques.
D) served as consultants in the development of the TAT.

Question 61

Self-monitoring can be both a method of data collection and

A) a type of projective instrument.
B) an intervention itself.
C) a means of watching oneself on closed circuit television.
D) a method of increasing the generalizability of findings.

Question 62

When administering the Rorschach Inkblot Test

A) an inquiry may be undertaken after the first administration in an attempt to clarify what was reported being seen.
B) spontaneous statements that the testtaker makes that are irrelevant to the card presented are not considered in the interpretation.
C) "testing the limits" and asking specific questions of the examinee may invalidate the findings.
D) care must be taken to make certain examinees blacken the grids fully, and only with #2 pencils.

Question 63

Differences between traditional and behavioral approaches to psychological assessment include the fact that

A) in traditional approaches to assessment, data is typically used to diagnose and classify, while in behavioral approaches, assessment data is used to describe targeted behaviors and maintaining conditions, usually for the purpose of selecting specific therapeutic techniques and then tracking response to therapeutic intervention.
B) traditional approaches to assessment are more likely to evaluate the traits and states of the individual (collectively referred to as "personality"), while behavioral assessment is more likely to focus attention on the conditions in the environment that were instrumental in establishing a targeted behavior, as well as the environmental conditions that are currently maintaining the behavior.
C) rather than drawing inferences about personality from samples of behavior (as in traditional approaches to assessment), behavioral approaches to assessment focus on the meaning (in the sense of purpose, utility, or consequences) of the behavior itself.
D) All of these

Question 64

The Rorschach Inkblot Test

A) was originally developed with highly structured and comprehensive administration and scoring instructions.
B) can be purchased as either a black-and-white or a multicolored set of cards.
C) is used widely by behavioral psychologists.
D) None of these

Question 65

The development of projective tests

A) was virtually ignored by legitimate test publishers for the last 25 years.
B) represented a reaction to attempts to assess personality using normative approaches.
C) was heralded by those employing actuarial prediction as a breakthrough in assessment techniques.
D) All of these

Question 66

Controversy surrounding Exner's norms for the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach stemmed from the claim that

A) Exner took great liberties when developing the norms making their validity questionable.
B) the graduate students collecting the data were poorly trained.
C) the normative sample from Detroit was not representative.
D) the norms over-pathologized nonclinical groups.

Question 67

The assumption that individuals provide structure to unstructured stimuli in a manner consistent with their individual needs,conflicts,and impulses is known as

A) the psychoanalytic concept of repression.
B) the stimulus-response hypothesis.
C) the defense mechanism of denial.
D) the projective hypothesis.

Question 68

Self-monitoring differs from self-report because in self-monitoring

A) it is up to the assessee to decide what to report.
B) behaviors are recorded at the time and place in which they occur.
C) the responses are not recorded.
D) the assessee records all the relevant behaviors but reports to the evaluator only selectively.

Question 69

Projective drawing expert Emanuel Hammer identified certain commonalities in the features of figure drawings rendered by persons from certain diagnostic groups.For example,Hammer noted that in the figure drawings of males who had raped women,commonalities included

A) simian-like arms.
B) exaggerated shoulders.
C) an inflated chest.
D) All of these

Question 70

The internal consistency of TAT scores tends to be low.Proponents of the TAT respond to this criticism by noting that

A) internal consistency seldom has any bearing on validity.
B) certain combinations of components of a score may usefully predict outcomes even if those components are uncorrelated.
C) in the arena of clinical judgment and the use of projective instruments, statistics are a sideshow.
D) "foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Question 71

Why is it surprising that B.F.Skinner developed the first auditory projective test?

A)As a behaviorist,B.F.Skinner did not believe that mentalistic terms such as projection are scientifically useful.
B)The development of this test was an accidental product of a behavioral assessment for hearing that B.F.Skinner had been working on.
C)B.F.Skinner did not believe in projective instruments but nonetheless believed there was a great market for this test at the time.
D)Most of B.F.Skinner's career was in the era before sound could be recorded and this test was one of his final accomplishments

Question 72

Why did projective tests using ambiguous sounds eventually become unpopular with clinicians?

A) Advocates for the disabled argued convincingly that these tests were biased against people with disabilities.
B) The sounds were considered offensive by some cultural groups.
C) Insurance companies refused to reimburse clinicians for administering them.
D) The tests did not distinguish between clinical and nonclinical groups.

Question 73

Projective tests are BEST characterized as _____ methods of personality assessment.

A) indirect
B) futile
C) objective
D) behavioral

Question 74

Projective tests

A) are direct methods of personality assessment.
B) place great verbal demands on the test-taker.
C) are relatively unstructured techniques.
D) All of these

Question 75

The use of projective tests minimizes

A) an assessee's attempt to fake good or fake bad.
B) the necessity for examinees to have a working knowledge of English.
C) cross-cultural bias.
D) the need for payment by third parties such as insurers.

Question 76

Behavioral assessment has many advantages over other forms of assessment.Which is NOT one of those advantages?

A) Behavioral assessment can provide adequate explanations for apparently contradictory dynamics in motivation.
B) Behavioral assessment can provide behavioral baseline data.
C) Behavioral assessment can provide a record of the assessee's behavioral strengths and weaknesses across a variety of situations.
D) Behavioral assessment can be used to pinpoint environmental conditions that are acting to trigger, maintain, or extinguish certain behaviors.

Question 77

For projective drawing expert Emanuel Hammer,a prominent feature of the figure drawings of male pedophiles is

A) the introduction of a second person in the drawing.
B) the powerful arms exhibited by the person drawn.
C) an overall sense of inadequacy or immaturity.
D) comments made by the offender while drawing.

Question 78

In your textbook,prominent differences can be observed between the example of a figure drawing produced by a rapist and the one produced by a pedophile.The most prominent difference was in the

A) size of the figure.
B) details of the rendering of the genitalia.
C) documented comments made by the offender during the test administration.
D) the number of additional people introduced into the drawing.

Question 79

In recent years,projective tests have

A) increasingly been criticized for being culturally loaded.
B) increasingly become norm-referenced.
C) attempted to tap less and less unconscious content.
D) None of these

Question 80

The stimulus cards of the Rorschach test are

A) all achromatic.
B) all multicolored.
C) all black, white, and red.
D) None of these