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PSYC7110

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING

SPRING SEMESTER, 2009

PSYC7110

PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT

4 HOURS

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

Graham, J.R. (2006). MMPI-2: Assessing personality and psychopathology (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Groth-Marnat, G. (2003). Handbook of psychological assessment. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS

Aiken, L. R. (1999). Personality assessment methods and practices (3rd ed.). Kirkland, MA: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. Chapter 10

Harvey, V.S. (1997). Improving readability of psychological reports. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 271-274.

RECOMMENDED READING

Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E. (1955). Construct validity in psychological tests, Psychological Bulletin, 52, 281-302.

ON LOAN FROM DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING

Hathaway, S.R. & McKinley, J.C. (1989). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality

Inventory – 2: Manual for Administration and Scoring. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Butcher, J.N., Williams, C.L., Graham, J.R., Archer, R.P., Tellegan, A., Ben-Porath, Y.S., & Kaemmer, B. (1992). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Adolescent: Manual for Administration and Scoring. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Millon, T., Davis, R. & Millon, C. (1997). Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory- III: Manual (2nd ed.). Minneapolis MN: NCS Pearson, Inc.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Prerequisite: Admission to Clinical/Counseling Psychology or School Psychology. An introduction to the theory, administration, and interpretation of personality assessment instruments, with primary emphasis on objective measures. Open only to advanced students with adequate background in psychological measurement and theory of personality.

M.S. CLINICAL-COUNSELING OBJECTIVES

Students will demonstrate:

  •    competence in appropriate practices and issues
  •    understanding  of appropriate assessment practices and issues

7.   competence in the integration of information from several sources (e.g., testing,  

      interviews, etc..) in the writing of assessment reports and intervention notes and

      plans.

10. awareness of the assessment needs of a culturally diverse clientele

11. competence in ethical decision-making and resolution of moral dilemmas as it relates

      to personality assessment

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY OUTCOMES

Students will:

1.3) demonstrate knowledge of diversity (cultural, socioeconomic, gender, race, sexual orientation) as it relates to understanding individual differences

1.8) demonstrate knowledge of appropriate standards, ethics, values, and legal issues consistent with the professional practice of school psychologists in various educational settings

2.1) conduct a broad range of formal and informal assessment practices and procedures, including cognitive, social, academic, and behavioral measures

2.2) analyze assessment and evaluation of educational curricula and psychological interventions appropriate for all children and adolescents

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will demonstrate knowledge of:

  1. appropriate assessment practices and issues related to personality assessment
  2. the integration of information from several sources (e.g., testing, interviews, etc..) in the writing of assessment reports and intervention notes and plans
  3. administration, scoring and interpretation procedures for the MMPI-2 and MCMI
  4. basic administrative and interpretation strategies for the Rorschach, TAT and projective drawing tasks
  5. uses and limitations of projective tests in personality assessment
  6. various statistical concepts related to personality assessment (examples, reliability, validity, T scores, etc..)
  7. major strengths and weaknesses of tests taught in class

COURSE EVALUATION

Exams:  There will be three exams, each worth 80 points. Exams will consist of multiple choice and short-answer questions to reflect material discussed in class and appearing in the assigned reading, as well as profile analyses. The final exam will contain two parts: a take-home project in which students are required to complete a psychological evaluation based on a fictional test battery, and an in-class exam similar to the first two exams.  Missing an exam for any reason deemed avoidable by the instructor will result in failure of the course. 

Assessments: Students are required to administer five MMPI-2’s, one of which may be an MMPI-A. Students will also be required to administer three MCMI-3’s, one BDI, and one BAI, plus at least one of these latter three tests are part of a battery with the final MMPI administration. Students will complete a profile analysis and brief written interpretation as follows:

MMPI-2 individually = 2

MCMI-2 individually = 1

MMPI-2 + BDI or BAI = 1*

MCMI-2 + BDI or BAI = 1*

Interview + MMPI-2 + BDI or BAI = 1*

Interview + MCMI-2 + BDI or BAI = 1*

* Students will administer two BDI’s and two BAI’s, but may pair them up with the other tests as they wish.

Point values for administrations and write-ups are listed below under “grading criteria.” All late assignments will have grade deductions at a rate of 5% of the value of the assignment per school day late.

Examinees must be fully consenting volunteers (see details below). Completed protocols/profiles should be void of all identifying information (except for the examiner’s initials) related to the examinee and turned in to the instructor according to the attached schedule.

Oral presentation: Students will bring a set of test results to class for the class to interpret. The student will present a brief case description and an interpretation of the results to share with the class once the class has attempted to interpret the profiles. The student will submit a brief summary of the profile interpretation. You are encouraged to present an intriguing and perplexing case

Grading Criteria:        

            3  Exams:                                80 points each             = 240 points               

            3 individual administrations:  10 points each             =   30 points

            3 individual write-ups:            20 points each             =   60 points

            2 two-test administrations:     10 points each             =   20 points

            2 two-test write-ups:               25 points each             =   50 points

            2 comprehensive reports:        75 points each             = 150 points

            1 oral presentation:                  50 points                     =   50 points

540-600 total points = A

480-539 total points = B

420-479 total points = C

360-419 total points = D

Below 360 total points = F

COURSE GUIDELINES FOR TESTING AND SECURING VOLUNTEERS

  1. You are responsible for securing all test subjects. Attempts by the student examiner to administer tests to adolescents and adults of varying ages are encouraged. The student should also try to have an equal number of males and females.
  2. Please do not test relatives or close friends. Your own relatives and friends can be tested by other class members and an exchange system set up.
  3. All examinees must be volunteers and must sign a copy of the attached consent form . You must have specific permission from the instructor to test in a school, clinic, hospital, or institution. For adolescents under the age of 18, parental permission MUST be secured using copies of the permission form attached to this syllabus.
  4. You are not authorized to present yourself as a representative of Valdosta State University or the Department of Psychology and Counseling. You may state your student status.
  5. NO PERSONS, except you and the course instructor, are to know the scores/profiles of any examinee unless permission is given by the course instructor. On profiles and scoring sheets, designate examinees by their initials only. There should be no writing on the test booklets themselves as these are re-used.
  6. You are to make no recommendations for psychological or medical treatment to the examinee or parents on the basis of your evaluation. Volunteers must be told beforehand that the test scores will not be disclosed to them. Tell the examinee that you are learning how to administer the test and are not sure how reliable and valid the results will be. You can emphasize, in recruiting examinees, that the session will be interesting and challenging.
  7. For record forms, copies will NOT be accepted. Test protocols are copyrighted material and therefore can not be reproduced without the publisher's permission.
  8. For the TAT (or other apperception tests), examinee responses are exactly recorded. Writing must be legible to allow accurate assessment by the instructor assistant. If writing is illegible, you will be asked to submit a typed response protocol.
  9. Test materials you have signed out must be returned on or before the exam date scheduled during the standard final exam date. Missing materials will be replaced at your expense. Final grades will not be released until materials are returned or reimbursement is made. The MMPI-2, MMPI-A, MCMI and Apperception testing materials will be made available to students through the instructor.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

VSU policy requires class attendance.  You will be expected to attend all class sessions unless outstanding and demonstrable circumstances arise.  Unexcused absences and/or repeated late attendance will result in a penalty of one percentage point deducted from course average per hour of class missed without an excuse deemed acceptable by the instructor.  In accordance with VSU policy, missing greater than 20% of in-class time will result in an automatic failure of the course.

CELL PHONE/TECHNOLOGY POLICY

You may use a laptop to type notes, but use of laptops for activities unrelated to class activities will result in being asked to leave. Using cell phones to take pictures, text message, or to make phone calls during class is prohibited. Cell phones should be switched off and left in bookbags, purses, or pockets. Having a cell phone on your desk will subject it to being confiscated for the duration of the class. MP3 players or other stereo equipment with earpieces or cell phones should also be switched off and put away during class time.

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING POLICY:

The full text of Academic Honesty Policies and Procedures is available in the on the Academic Affairs website (http://www.valdosta.edu/academic/AcademicHonestyatVSU.shtml). 

If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, I recommend you review the following web site:

http://www.valdosta.edu/~cbarnbau/personal/teaching_MISC/plagiarism.htm as well as the Biology Department’s guidelines: http://www.valdosta.edu/biology/documents/biologyplagiarism.doc

Please note that I will check online and other sources to verify that you are not engaging in academic misconduct. Consequences for plagiarism may include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or dismissal from your academic program.

Note that making up data to fulfill course requirements is also academic misconduct and will be treated as such and as above.

SPECIAL NEEDS STATEMENT

Valdosta State University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, will make arrangements for students who require special assistance due to a disability.  If you require some assistance, do not hesitate to make me aware of it.  Students requesting classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability must contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities located in room 1115 Nevins Hall. The phone numbers are 245-2498 (voice) and 219-1348 (tty).

INSTRUCTOR

David Wasieleski, Ph.D.

#306 Regional Center for Continuing Education

Phone: 333-5620

Email: dwasiele@valdosta.edu

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski

Office hours: MWF 9:00am-12:00pm, R 3:00-5:00pm

(Available at other times by appointment)

TEACHING ASSISTANT

Ms. Lindsey Muller

lmmuller@valdosta.edu

PCB#24 or main Psychology office

Office hours: Tues 12-2. Fri 8-2
COURSE SCHEDULE

1/15                 Groth-Marnat Chapters 1 & 2: Reliability, validity, and test bias

                        Cronbach & Meehl (1955) article

1/22                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 3: Interviewing

1/29                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 7: MMPI-2 administration and scoring

                        Graham Chapter 2

2/5                   Graham Chapters 3, 4, 5, & 11: MMPI-2 Interpretation and Reporting

                         

2/12                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 8: MCMI-3

                        1st MMPI due

                       

2/19                 First exam (covering material thru 2/5)

2/26                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 8: MCMI-3    

                        2nd  MMPI due

3/5                   Groth-Marnat Chapter 13: Brief instruments: BDI, BAI

                        Groth-Marnat Chapters 14 & 15: Treatment planning and Report Writing

                        Harvey (1997) article

                        1st  MCMI due

3/12                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 12: Neuropsychological assessment

                        MMPI + BAI/BDI due

3/26                 Second exam

4/2                   Groth-Marnat Chapter 10: Rorschach

                        Oral presentations

                        MCMI + BAI/BDI due

4/9                   Groth-Marnat Chapter 10: Rorschach

                        Oral presentations

4/16                 Groth-Marnat Chapter 11: Thematic Apperception Test

                        Oral presentations

                        MCMI battery due

4/23                 Aiken Chapter 10: Projective drawings

                        Guest lecturer: Dr. Katharine Adams

                        Oral presentations

                       

4/30                 Feedback, linking assessment to intervention

                        Oral presentations

                        MMPI battery due

                       

Final Exam: Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 7:15-10:00 p.m.***time/day subject to change

Informed Consent

for Assessment of Adolescent

I, ________________________________, do hereby give the student examiner

(Parent/Legal Guardian if examinee is a minor)

(named below) permission to assess the examinee listed below (said minor).  I understand that I will not be informed of assessment results.  The test administrator is a student in a graduate psychology program at Valdosta State University and is in the process of learning to administer this test; therefore test results may not be reliable or valid.  I do hereby release and discharge Valdosta State University, faculty and staff members of Valdosta State University and the undersigned student examiner from all claims, demands and causes of action, either legal or equitable, which may hereafter arise as a results of or in relation to testing, psychological assessment or reports thereof with the examinee whose name appears above. In addition, by signing this document I hereby testify that I have read and understand the above information.

Examinee’s/Adolescent’s Signature                                                                          Date

Examinee’s Printed Name

Parent/Legal Guardian                                                                                              Date

Parent’s/Legal Guardian’s Printed Name

Student Examiner                                                                                                      Date

Informed Consent

for Assessment of Adult

I, ________________________________, as the individual whose signature appears below, do hereby agree to participate as a practice examinee for the student examiner (named below).  I understand that I will not be informed of assessment results.  The test administrator is a student in a graduate psychology program at Valdosta State University and is in the process of learning to administer this test; therefore test results may not be reliable or valid.  I do hereby release and discharge Valdosta State University, faculty and staff members of Valdosta State University and the undersigned student examiner from all claims, demands and causes of action, either legal or equitable, which may hereafter arise as a results of or in relation to testing, psychological assessment or reports thereof with the examinee whose name appears above. In addition, by signing this document I hereby testify that I have read and understand the above information.

Examinee’s  Signature                                                                                               Date

                                                                                               

Examinee’s Printed Name

Student Examiner Signature                                                                                     Date