1. Testing Methods and Determination of Personality
Forensic Psychology
Testing Methods and Determination of Personality

2. Forensic Psychology
Forensic Psychology has as its goal the detection of criminal tendencies rooted in a person’s mental state, rather than as a result of their economic or cultural state.
As a corollary, it seeks to determine if a persons actions were caused by a mental defect, or simply the result of a willful act of criminal behavior in an otherwise sane person.

3. Personality Assessment

4. Definitions: Mackinnon (1959)
Personality refers to “factors” inside people that explain their behavior
The sum total of typical ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that makes a person unique.

5. Definitions: DSM-IV-TR (2000) Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
“Are enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal context.

6. Definitions: R.B. Cattell (1950)
The personality of an individual is that which enables us to predict what he will do in a given situation”

7. 3 Facts to Consider When Defining Personality
Individuals are unique
Individuals behave differently in different situations
Although individuals are unique and behave inconsistently across situations, there is considerable commonality in human behavior

8. “Personality” as a construct may include:
Emotional responses
Social behavior
Emotional thoughts and behavior
Motivations
Values
Interests
Methods of Measuring Personality:
Paper & pencil tests: questionnaires, inventories
Situational exercises
Field or natural observations
Projective measures

9. Projective Techniques

10. The Projective Techniques
Projective tests allow the examinee to respond to vague stimuli with their own impressions
The assumption is that the examinee will project his unconscious needs, motives, and conflicts onto the neutral stimulus
Word association tests, inkblot tests, sentence completion tests, storytelling in response to pictures, etc.

11. The Projective Techniques
Three features:
Disguised: no “correct” responses
Global: the whole personality
Reveals unconscious aspects of personality
Types:
Inkblot: Rorschach
Picture interpretation: TAT
Sentence completion: Rotter Incomplete SB
Picture construction: DAP

12. Examples of Projectives
Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB)
Complete the following sentences to express your real feelings:
I like ……..
My greatest fear ……..
This Forensic Science instructor is ……..

13. Projective Tests: Psychological diagnostic tests in which the test material is unstructured so that any response will reflect a projection of some aspect of the subject's underlying personality and psychopathology
Rorschach test (inkblot test)

14. Administering the Rorschach
The test is usually administered with as little instruction and information as possible
The tester asks 'What might this be? and gives no clues or restrictions on what is expected as a response
Anxious subjects often do ask questions, and vague answers are offered
Some advocate sitting beside the subject to avoid giving clues by facial expression
If only one response is given, some hint to find more may be offered: "Some people see more than one thing.“

15. Thematic Apperception Test
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective test, based on the assumption that the subject will project aspects of their personality onto the ambiguous stimuli presented to them in the black and white cards.

16. Thematic Apperception Test
Subjects are presented with a card and instructed to make up a creative, imaginative story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Examples of the cards include:

17. TAT Example

18. TAT Example
Does this image suggest a positive or negative thought? Does the direction of the climber indicates a pessimistic or optimistic outlook in life?
A 1994 study by George and Waehler suggests that ½ see the climber going up, 1/3 see the climber going down, the rest see him static….

19. TAT Applications Useful in determining a patients outlook.
Does an individual bring the hero to a positive or negative ending?

20. Card 15 man in graveyard; Card 13MF naked woman and man regret20

21. EMILY (CARD 15) “This man is the, uh, groundskeeper and gatekeeper of the, uh, cemetery there. He actually was, as part of his job when he was given it, he was actually given, like, a small house that’s actually almost in the cemetery. Because since he was given the job and the house, the cemetery has expanded a bit.”
Card 15, avoidance/positive outcome 21

22. MATTIAS (CARD 15) “For years grave keeper Bob walked around the cemetery he took care of every night. He went to each stone just when the sun set and would bid good night to every single one of the grave yards inhabitants. He felt that that way, he could best preserve the memory of those lost and hoped that in doing so their souls found rest. There was one grave, the last grave he would stop at. The grave of his wife. Every night he would say, ‘I miss you.’ Instead of ‘Good Night.’”
Card 15, avoidance/positive outcome 22

23. Card 15 man in graveyard; Card 13MF naked woman and man regret23

24. GABBY (CARD 15) I think umm these two are husband and wife and I think he came home and his wife was already asleep and he seems like he is still in his work clothes so he must have had a bad day at work because of the way that he is holding his arm over his eyes he might have been crying. I think he’s going to try to wake his wife up to tell her about what happened that made him so upset. [ADMINISTRATOR: What happens when he wakes his wife up to tell her about what happened?] GABBY: I think his wife is going to comfort him and listen.

25. “What, what. I don’t even know what this is
“What, what? I don’t even know what this is. It looks like she is up in a tree? Who climbs a tree in a dress? Who does that? Ok, these two got into an argument…”

26. Draw-a-Person Test Originally to assess children’s intelligence
Now: a screening procedure for emotional disturbance
Cannot constitute a diagnosis
The administration:
Draw a person
Draw a person of the opposite sex
Draw yourself

27. Draw-a-Person Test Administrator Asks: Can you please draw a person?
Draw whatever you like in any way you like?
Administrator Then Asks:
- Draw a person of the opposite sex?

28. Draw-a-Person Test Clinician looks for: Sequence of body parts
Verbalizations during the drawing process
Size & placement of figures on the page
Amount of action depicted
Systematization in doing the task
Number of erasures
Shading
Gender of picture
Over attention to certain body parts

29. Interpretation of Responses

30. Rotter Incomplete Sentence: Results Interpretation
Designed to screen for emotional maladjustment
Info about wishes, desires, likes, dislikes, fears, and locus of control
Responses are scored as to the degree of conflict expressed, optimism shown, length of responses, omissions

31. Draw-a-Person Test Results
Among the plausible relations that have been claimed:
- Large size = Emotional expansiveness or acting out
- Small size = emotional constriction; withdrawal, or timidity
- Overworked lines = tension, aggression
- Distorted or omitted features = Conflicts related to that feature
- Large or elaborate eyes = Paranoia

32. Pressure for Social Desirability
Some test takers choose socially acceptable answers or present themselves in a favorable light
People often do not may attention to the trait being measured, but to the social acceptability of the statement
This represents unwanted variance, but can be detected

33. Social Desirability (cont.)
Example items:
Friends would call me spontaneous!
Poppycock, you’re repressed and fearful, and do whatever everyone else is doing…
People know they can count on me to finish what I start!
Not, you’re a slacker, and will bail as soon as it gets difficult…
I would rather work in a group than by myself!
Phooey, you’re a sociopath, but don’t want to look like one…

34. Faking Responses
Faking -- some test takers may respond in a particular way to cause a desired outcome
may “fake good” (e.g., lie to get a job) to create a favorable impression
may “fake bad” (e.g., in clinical or forensic settings) as a cry for help or to appear mentally disturbed so you get away with murder

35. “Faking Bad” People try to look worse than they really are Reasons:
Common problem in clinical settings
Reasons:
Cry for help
Want to plea insanity in court
Want to avoid draft into military
Want to show psychological damage
Most people who fake bad overdo it

36. Examples of Personality Types
Introvert - I don’t get much pleasure from chatting with people. I’m often a loner.
Extrovert – I’m an outgoing person, sociable, and the  life of the party!
Neurotic - Frightening thoughts often come into my head, for no good reason…
Passive-Aggressive - I try to avoid direct confrontation, but I’m not gonna do what you tell me to!
Conscientious - I do my homework on time, always.

37. MMPI
Table 4-6