1. Assessment of Abnormal Behavior
PSY 436
Instructor: Emily Bullock Yowell, Ph.D.

2. The MMPI-2 The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2
Standardized questionnaire that elicits a wide range of self-descriptions scored to give a quantitative measurement of an individual’s level of emotional adjustment and attitude toward test taking
Most widely used clinical inventory and has over 10,000 published research references
Original development of MMPI-1939 at the Univ. of Minnesota by Hathaway and McKinley
MMPI revised to create MMPI-2 in 1989

3. The MMPI-2 The Basics 567 questions
13 Standard Scales (10 of which are clinical/personality scales)
Other Scales: Content, Harris-Lingoes subscales, critical items, supplementary scales
Requires about 90 minutes to complete
MMPI-2: for individuals 18 and over; 8th grade reading level
MMPI-A: for adolescents 14-18

4. MMPI-2 Limitations and Group Issues
Provides more reliable information for “abnormal” rather than “normal” individuals
Misleading labels for scales
Higher reading level and psychological sophistication necessary
No consistent patterns have been found across different populations for African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans
Card version for those with concentration issues
Audio version for issues of blindness, illiteracy, or aphasia

5. MMPI-2 The 3 Main/Original Validity Scales
L (Lie) scale: attempt to which a person is attempting to describe himself or herself in an unrealistically positive manner
F (Infrequency) scale: extent to which person answers in an atypical and deviant manner
K (Correction) scale: detects persons describing themselves in overly positive terms; more subtle and effective than L scale

6. MMPI-2 Clinical Scales Scale 1 (Hs, Hypochondriasis)
Scale 2 (D, Depression)
Scale 3 (Hy, Hysteria)
Scale 4 (Pd, Psychopathic Deviate)
Scale 5 (Mf, Masculinity-Femininity)

7. MMPI-2 Clinical Scales Scale 6: (Pa, Paranoia)
Scale 7: (Pt, Psychasthenia)
Scale 8: (Sc, Schizophrenia)
Scale 9: (Ma, Hypomania)
Scale 0: (Si, Social Introversion)

8. MMPI-2 Interpretation Determine validity of the profile first
Note scores above T65
Interpret highest elevations first, moderate interpretations on only slightly elevated scales

9. RBANS
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status
Purpose of Development
Requires Individual Administration
Age: 20-89
20-30 administration time
Difficulty level is appropriate for normal adult through moderately severe dementia

10. RBANS
Normative Sample-540 healthy adults (nationally representative sample)
Alternate forms for re-administration
12 subtests and five domains
Immediate Memory
Delayed Memory
Visuospatial/Constructional
Language
Attention

11. MMSE Mini-Mental Status Examination
Used to assess cognitive mental status as an initial evaluation tool or evaluation of treatment
assesses orientation, attention, immediate and short-term recall, language, and the ability to follow simple verbal and written commands

12. MMSE Domains on the Folstein version Orientation to time
Orientation to Place
Immediate Recall
Attention
Delayed Recall
Naming
Repetition
3 Stage Command
Reading
Copying
Writing

13. Projective Testing
Rationale: Ambiguous stimuli will elicit projections of one’s personality
Common Characteristics
Relatively unstructured task
Brief, general instructions that often can not be repeated
Ambiguous stimuli
Low Face Validity
Results consist of a composite picture of personality
Thought to reveal unconscious aspects

14. The Rorschach
Projective test with the overall goal to assess the structure of personality
Consists of 10 symmetrical inkblots on cards
Administration time: minutes
Provides information on variables such as motivation, response tendencies, cognitive operations, affectivity, and personal and interpersonal perceptions
Age 5 and up (Exner 5-69)

15. Rorschach Inkblot Test
Not an actual card

18. Rorschach Administration
Introduce respondent to technique
Giving the Test Instructions
“What might this be?”; “People see all sorts of things in the inkblots.”
Response Phase
Get at least 15 responses for Exner system
Allow test-taker to free associate for each card
Inquiry
Test User attempts to see what the test taker saw in the inkblots

19. Rorschach Selected Assets and Limitations
Bypasses a person’s conscious resistance and assesses a person's underlying unconscious structure of personality
Limitations
Variable reliability and validity estimates
Time required for scoring and interpretation
Extensive time required for training

20. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

22. Other Projective Techniques
Sentence completion tasks
Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank
House-Tree-Person
Roberts Apperception Test for Children
Kinetic Family Drawing Test