Psychological Testing

Cognitive
Wechsler, Binet

Personality

Neuropsychological

Achievement/ School

Projectives
Rorschach, TAT, Drawings

Objectives
MMPI, PAI, Self report measures

Neuropsychological Tests
MEASURE brain functioning/ damage Alternative for traditional cognitive measures
Halstead-Reitan Battery Luria-Nebraska Battery Peabody Vocabulary Bender Visual Motor Gestalt test Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure

Halstead-Reitan Battery
Measures brain damage while offering a comprehensive view of the patients individual functions Provides a database for inferring nature, location and extent of structural changes in the brain

Ten/10 tests Better for localization of acute (vs. chronic) lesions Ages 15 and older Versions for younger individuals Measures the ability of the nervous system and brain to process and interpret information received through the senses (visual, auditory, analyze information, mental concepts, make judgments, motor output, attention, concentration and memory).

Luria-Nebraska Battery
Screening and evaluation of neuropsychologically impaired individuals Attempts to combine qualitative techniques of some tests with the quantitative techniques of others.
Motor skills, language abilities, intellectual abilities, nonverbal /auditory skills, and visual-spatial skills. 15 years and up

Peabody Vocabulary Verbal aspect of intelligence Measures hearing or receptive vocabulary

NO need to read/ write Which of four pics BEST relates to stimulus word

Bender-Gestalt Test
Measure of visual motor and visual perception skills
Ages 4 and over 10 minutes 9 geometric designs Reproduce designs on blank piece of paper

Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure

Measures visuospatial abilities, memory, attention, planning and working /executive functions.

Reproduce a complicated line drawing,

Copy, 3 minute recall, 30 minute delayed recall and a recognition trial Test/ retest reliability

Achievement/ Educational Tests

Measures what the person has ACTUALLY acquired (vs. potential) or done with their potential
Wide Range Achievement test (WRAT) Woodcock-Johnson Group tests

Woodcock - Johnson
Excellent evaluating learning disabilities! Assesses general intellectual abilities, specific cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitude, oral language, and achievement.
Compares individuals own cognitive abilities with achievement 1.5 / 2 SD difference between cognitive and achievement = POSSIBLE learning disabilities Specific and accurate areas of diagnosis (i.e.separating speed vs. ability)

Wide Range Achievement Test WRAT

Measures reading recognition, spelling, and arithmetic

computation. Helps determine learning ability/ disability.

Level I (ages 5-0 to 11-11) and Level !! (12 64) Help prescribe remedial programs Assesses error patterns to plan instructional programs Individual administration Caution! Many problems esp. with reading abilities

Group Tests Wide range of abilities in educational/ vocational settings Almost any purpose!
Verbal, nonverbal or combination Paper and pencil tests, booklet- pencil, computer Group tests in schools/ Kindergarten through 12 for ability (potential to learn) and achievement (learned) Group tests of Mental Abilities /intelligence College entrance tests SAT, GRE The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (military)

Personality Testing

Measures.
Stable patterns of behaviors that characterizes a person and his/her interactions with surroundings

Dealing with people Coping with stress Leader/follower Control of environment

Personality Testing

Projectives/ Unstructured

Objectives/ Structured
MMPI PAI Millon T/F, Yes/No, multiple choice

Rorschach TAT/CAT Drawings

Projectives/ Unstructured

Activity you have about 3 minutes to write down what the stimulus might be/ what you see

Responses

1. In what ways the responses vary?

1. Why do you think the responses vary?

The Projective Hypothesis

When people attempt to understand an ambiguous or vague stimulus, their interpretation of that stimulus reflects their needs, feelings, experiences, prior conditioning, thought processes and so forth.

Projectives Tests Types

1. Pictorial-type tests
1. Rorschach, TAT

2. Nonpictorial- type tests

1. Word association test, Rotter incomplete sentence blank

3. Expressive-type tests
1. Draw a person, House/Tree/Person, Kinetic Family test

The Rorschach Inkblot Test

CONTROVERSIAL!!!! the most powerful psychometric instrument ever envisioned To bears a charming resemblance to a party game

 Developed by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach in 1921 10 different cards / an ambiguous inkblot. Describe what he or she sees in the image. Recorded verbatim by the tester.

Two phases: RESPONSES, INQUIRY

Many different scoring systems (Exner, Rappaport)

Responses

Inquiry
WHAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE WHERE IS IT?

Scoring
LOCATION DETERMINANT SPECIAL SCORES

1.

It is a bat!

1.

The whole thing, see the wings? And this middle is the body, it is black.

1.

Wo FCo A

2.

The body of a woman, in the middle Ghosts! 4 of them

2.

Here in the middle, see the skirt, legs,

2.

Do Fo H

3.

3.

These white things, like ghosts, they look like it!

3.

DdS o

FC Ghost

Responses

Inquiry
WHAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE WHERE IS IT?

Scoring
LOCATION DETERMINANT SPECIAL SCORES

1.Two crabs fighting

1..here, see it? The little legs, and claws.. Blue crab. And they have their hands up, to fight
2. The whole thing, look at these creatures, like they are all dancing.

1. Do MaC Pair A Ag

2.A bunch of different sea animals dancing in the water

2. W+

Ma

A, Ls

The Thematic Apperception Test TAT

A more scientifically based test Based on Murrays theory of needs (Needs for achievement, affiliation, sex, dominance.. )1935

31 cards of ambiguous scenes:

Men only/ women only/ or either gender
usual administration: 10 20 cards

Instructions

Asked to tell a story describing the scene, including what is happening, how characters are feeling, and how the story will end.

Scoring
Based on needs, motivations and anxieties of main characters and end of story

Interpreting
THREE areas of focus 1. Content
Can reveal subjects attitudes, fantasies, wishes, inner conflicts and view of the outside world

2. The feeling of story

the story structure usually reveals the subjects feelings, assumptions about the world and underlying attitude of optimism and pessimism

3. Subjects behaviors
Verbal remarks (I am not a good story teller) Nonverbal reactions/ signs (blushing, fidgeting)

Common uses
Employment in fields with high degree of stress (military leadership, religious ministry, education..) Psychotherapy TREATMENT plan (not a diagnostic tool) Forensic settings :
24-year-old man in prison for a series of sexual murders. Results indicated that his attitudes toward other people are not only outside normal limits but are similar to those of other persons found guilty of the same type of crime.

Cultural, gender and class issues

Very important to take into account and not assume a response is abnormal I.E. gender/ Card 6G - woman seated turning toward a somewhat older man standing behind her smoking a pipe.
Males typically do not react implying aggressiveness Females most females regard it as an aggressive picture, with unpleasant overtones of intrusiveness and danger

Drawings
Draw a person House / Tree/ Person Kinetic family drawing Person in the rain

Drawings
Based on psychodynamic interpretation of the details of the drawing: Size, shape, complexity of features, omissions and disproportions.

Low validity

Scoring/Interpretation
Draw a person / House Tree- Person 60 questions

Three assumptions 1. House = subjects home life and relationship with family 2. Tree = Experiences 3. Person = Relationships with other people aside from family
In general: areas of conflict/concerns

Sentence Completion
Responses are considered a projection of their conscious and /or unconscious attitudes, personality characteristics, motivations, and beliefs. Opportunity to provide information in private

Sentence completion task

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. I am _________ I enjoy _______ What annoys me __________ It pains me to ___________ Men ___________ Dancing ___________ Sports ______________

Personality Testing

Projectives/ Unstructured

Objectives/ Structured
MMPI PAI Millon T/F, Yes/No, multiple choice

Rorschach TAT/CAT Drawings

Objective tests
First objective/ structured test Woodworth Personal Data sheet, created to identify military recruits who were at risk to break down in combat (during WWI).

Minnesota Multiphasic Personaltiy Inventory MMPI 1939

Designed to aid in the diagnosis or assessment of the major psychological disorders
Captures aspects of human psychopathology that are meaningful despite theoretical approach

MMPI-2
567 items Abbreviated form 370 items (illness, time pressure) True/ False 1-2 hours MMPI-A Raw scores transformed into a standardized T-scores (Mean equals 50, standard deviation equals 10)

Sample MMPI questions

T/F

60.I do not read every editorial in the newspaper everyday 61.I have not lived the right kind of life 62.Parts of my body often have feeling like burning, tingling, crawling, or like going to sleep 63.I have had no difficulty in starting or holding my bowel movement 64.I sometimes keep on at a thing until others lose their patience with me 65.I loved my father 66.I see things or animals or people around me that others do not see 67.I wish I could be as happy as others seem to be 68.I hardly ever feel pain in the back of the neck 69.I am very strongly attracted by members of my own sex 70.I used to like drop-the-handkerchief 71.I think a great many people exaggerate their misfortunes in order to gain the sympathy and help of others 72.I am troubled by discomfort in the pit of my stomach every few days or oftener 73.I am an important person 74.I have often wished I were a girl. (Or if you are a girl) I have never been sorry that I am a girl 75.I get angry sometimes

Uses
1. Clinical /Diagnostic 2. Forensic/ legal matters 3. Research 4. Employment 1. Treatment Program Effectiveness

MMPI-2
VALIDITY scales
CLINICAL scales CONTENT scales
repression..) (substance abuse, anxiety,

Validity Scales
To detect inconsistencies in responses, over reporting or exaggerating, and under reporting or downplaying the severity of symptoms.

Abbrevi ation
CNS L

New in version
1 1

Description "Cannot Say" Lie

Assesses Questions not answered Client "faking good"

F
K Fb VRIN TRIN

1
1 2 2 2

Infrequency
Defensiveness Back F Variable Response Inconsistency True Response Inconsistency

Client "faking bad" (in first half of test)

Denial/Evasiveness Client "faking bad" (in last half of test) answering similar/opposite question pairs inconsistently answering questions all true/all false honesty of test responses/not faking good or bad improving upon K scale, "appearing excessively good" Frequency of presentation in clinical setting Overreporting of somatic symptoms

F-K
S Fp Fs

2
2 2 2 RF

F minus K
Superlative SelfPresentation F-Psychopathology Infrequent Somatic Response

Clinical scales
Measures persons perception and preoccupation with their health issues

um ber 1 2

Abbrevia Description tion Hs D Hypochondriasi s Depression

What is measured Concern with bodily symptoms Depressive Symptoms Awareness of problems and vulnerabilities Conflict, struggle, anger, respect for society's rules Stereotypical masculine or feminine interests/behaviors Level of trust, suspiciousness, sensitivity

No. of items 32 57

3
4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Hy
Pd MF Pa Pt Sc Ma Si

Hysteria
Psychopathic Deviate Masculinity/Fe mininity Paranoia Psychasthenia Schizophrenia Hypomania

60
50 56 40 48 78 46 69

Worry, Anxiety, tension, doubts, obsessiveness

Odd thinking and social alienation Level of excitability People orientation

Social Introversion

Content scales
Supplemental scales to assist interpretation of particular issues such as anxiety and substance abuse

Abbreviation Es OH MAC MAC-R Do APS AAS SOD A R TPA MDS

Description Ego Strength Scale Over-Controlled Hostility Scale MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale Revised Dominance Scale Addictions Potential Scale Addictions Acknowledgement Scale Social Discomfort Scale Anxiety Scale Repression Scale Type A Scale Marital Distress Scale

Conclusion
Tests are tools to ADD to your clinical repertoire. Tests should be used with caution! -Cultural differences, SES, history Tests should NEVER be used in isolation Tests are used to obtain information that otherwise is difficult to see