Final Exam Study

Name that Scale MMPI-2

100

Scale 1 

Hypochondriasis Hs

Preoccupation and worry with physical complaints and health symptoms 

May Pathologically misinterpret physical symptoms 

Best Construct validity with factor analysis among all the clinical scales 

200

Scale 2

Depression

Mood Symptoms loss of energy anhedonia thoughts of suicide or hopelessness often dissatisfied with overall quality of life 

300

Scale 3 

Hysteria (Hy) 

Immaturity lack of adaptive coping mechanisms lack of insight superficial relationships 

Often people who somaticize stress 

Possibly linked to lower intellectual ability or unstable childhood 

400

Scale 4 

Psychopathic Deviate (Pd)

Difficulty incorporating or appreciating social norms and rules 

Rebellion with authority figures 

Immediate Gratification 

Normed on people who were in trouble with the law

Higher scores (5-10 points) among African American, Latino, Native American Individuals 

500

Scale 5 

Masculinity - Feminity (Mf) 

Originally developed to distinguish heterosexual men from gay men (homosexual inversion) 

Expanded to distinguish traditional male behaviors from female behaviors 

higher score indicates gender atypical behaviors and interests gender role flexibility 

Low Scores indicate very traditional or stereotypical male/female interests 

No longer used for diagnostic purposes 

Name that Scale MMPI-2

100

Scale 6 

Paranoia (Pa)

Measures ideas of references, feelings of persecution, suspicion of others, excessive sensitivity 

Poor Prognosis for psychotherapy 

200

Scale 7 

Psychathenia (Pt) 

Excessive compulsions, obsessions, and doubts 

Plagued by irrational or excessive fears  

300

Scale 8 

Schizophrenia (Sc)

Extreme disturbance of thinking, mood, and behavior

Delusions hallucinations likely 

Appear bizarre or out of touch with reality 

Elevated in patients with neurological medical conditions 

400

Scale 9 

Hypomania (Ma) 

Excessive Energy, Flight of ideas, delusions of grandeur emotional lability 

Often have many projects going on at once 

Difficulty regulating impulses 

Lowest Test- Re-test reliability over 5 year period 

500

Scale 0 

Social Introversion (Si) 

Tendency to withdraw from social contact, insecure in  social situations, timid, shy, lack self-confidence highly anxious 

Not intended to be a Diagnostic scale   

MMPI-2

100

Which scales are more likely to elevate in adolescents?

F

Pd (4)

Sc (8)

Ma (9) 

H-L Elevations 

Hd1 Family Discord 

Pd2 Authority Conflicts 

Sc2 Lack of Ego Mastery 

Ma2 Psychomotor Acceleration

200

New scales on the MMPI-A and differences from MMPI-2

Short Form 350 Questions only 

Greatest number of questions deleted from F scale and Mf

3 new subscales Immaturity, School Problems, Conduct Problems

2 redeveloped scales Alcohol/Drug Problem Acknowledgement (ACK) Alcohol/Drug  Problem Proneness (PRO)

300

Conceptual and clinical interpretation of the MMPI-A:

conceptualize from a systems perspective 

Clinically Significant if T>65

400

Major changes in samples from MMPI (original) to MMPI-2

Normed on white educated middle class men 

Added Native Americans and African Americans

500

MMPI-2 important information to know 

Adult version: 567 True-False items, 18+ years of age

MMPI-2-RF: 338 True-False items, 18+ years of age

Adolescent version: 478 True-False items, 14-18 years of age

 6thgrade reading level

Created uniform T-scores for ALLClinical Scales

 Created NEW Content, Supplementary, & Validity Scales

Continued use of gender-based norms

Personality Testing

100

EEOC guidance

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC
• EEOC was tasked with setting guidelines to end discriminatory employment practices on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin, or religion
• Authority over federal agencies and any agency or business which receives federal funds.
• Provides a legal opinion which is non-binding

200

ADA

• ADA 1974 Americans with Disabilities ACT
• Guidelines have been interpreted such that psychologist should not use personality testing to assess for employment competency until after a conditional offer of employment has already been made they may rescind offer is testing indicates clinical concern that could impact public safety

300

Barnum effect  

the tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments or horoscopes, even when the information is so vague as to be worthless.

400

Major Differences MMPI-MMPI2

Retained almost all original items to maintain continuity – replaced or reworded outdated or objectionable items

 Normative sample – selected more diverse & nationally representative sample

 utilized 1980 Census data to shape sampling from 7 sites

 2600 respondents: 1138 men, 1462 women

 Added military, African American (12%), Hispanic (3%), Native Americans (3%), Asian Americans (1%) & couples to sample

Age range: 18 – 85 years old

 Education: 3 – 20 years

 Employment: laborers (5%), professional/managerial (12%)

Median income:

 Men: $30,000 - $35,000

Women: $25,000 - $30,000

500

Validity Scales How many what are they?

9 Validity Scales: Cannot Say Score, VRIN, TRIN, F, Fb, Fp, FBS, L, S

MMPI-2

100

Cannot Say is invalid when?

Cannot say is a count of the items that were left unanswered

>30 may be invalid, 11-29 some scales may be invalid, 0-10 probably valid

200

Test Administration 

Need to obtain informed consent to test

Review purpose of assessment – help establish rapport

Need to assess client’s reading level

300

Define Factor Analysis 

A statistical procedure by which items are correlated to see unique patterns of grouping 

400

Criterion Group Strategy 

comparison of control group to characteristic group to identify which questions distinguish the groups 

500

Structured personality testing 

relies on clear unambiguous prompts