Assessment of Adult Personality and Psychopathology



PSY 580

Assessment of Adult Personality and Psychopathology

Spring 2007

Instructor: Janet L. Muse-Burke, Ph.D.

E-mail: jlmuse-burke@marywood.edu

Office Phone: 570-348-6211 ext. 2367

Office Hours: McGowan Center, Room 1029

Tuesday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Thursday, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Appointments may be scheduled for other times as needed.

Course Description: Principles and applications of structured assessment of adult personality and psychopathology. Integration of theory and practical application. Focus will be on objective measures of assessment, with some exposure to projective measures. Class will involve lecture, discussion, and practicum elements involving test-taking, scoring, and interpretation. (Prerequisites: Psychology 561 & 531.)

Method of Instruction:

Lecture, large group discussion, small group discussion, and demonstration.

Required Textbooks:

Butcher, J. N., (Ed.) (2002). Clinical personality assessment: Practical approaches (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Graham, J. R. (2007). MMPI-2: Assessing personality and psychopathology (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Strack, S. (Ed.). (2002). Essentials of Millon inventories assessment (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Zimmerman, M. (1994). Interview guide for evaluating DSM-IV Psychiatric Disorders and the Mental Status Exam. East Greenwich, RI: Psych Products Press.

Required Readings:

Berndt, D. (1983). Ethical and professional considerations in psychological assessment Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 14, 580-587.

Pope, K. (1992). Responsibilities in providing psychological test feedback to clients. Psychological Assessment, 4, 268-271.

Schwartz, N. (1999). Self-reports: How the questions shape the answers. American Psychologist, 54, 93-105.

Course Objectives:

• To develop knowledge of the benefits and difficulties of personality and psychopathology assessment.

• To evaluate the appropriateness and psychometric soundness of various personality and psychopathology measures.

• To understand the professional and ethical issues involved in personality and psychopathology assessment.

• To improve understanding of how multicultural issues interact with personality and psychopathology assessment.

• To gain experience in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of selected instruments.

• To gain experience in writing psychological reports.

Course Grading:

418 – 450 points = A

405 – 417 points = A-

391 – 404 points = B+

373 – 390 points = B

360 – 372 points = B-

346 – 359 points = C+

328 – 345 points = C

Course Requirements:

• Classroom Participation – All students will be expected to complete assigned readings. Further, students will be expected to actively and thoughtfully participate in classroom discussions, role-plays, and activities. Students who miss or are tardy for more than 2 class periods will automatically receive a deduction in their participation grade. 50 points

• Pop Quizzes – Six pop quizzes will be given over the course of the semester. Each quiz will be worth 10 points. If a pop quiz is given on a date that class is missed, a score of 0 will be given. Pop quizzes cannot be made up. The quiz with the lowest score will not be counted in determining the students’ total quiz grade. 50 points

• Psychological Reports - The objective of this assignment is to develop your skills in personality assessment administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. Completion of three psychological reports is required. At the beginning of the semester, you will complete a psychological assessment of an adult of your choosing (preferably NOT a partner, close relative, or friend). The assessment must be completed by 2/8/2007. The volunteer will complete an interview, the MMPI-2, MCMI-III, and MIPS. The selected volunteer must be made aware that participation is solely for your training, this is not a valid personality assessment, and feedback will not be provided. To score the assessments, the manuals and templates for each test will be put on restricted reserve in the curriculum lab. If you would like to score the instruments on the weekend, arrangements must be made in advance with the department secretary to remove the items from the locked cabinet. Students are required to bring a transparency of the scored profile to class to receive assistance with interpretation. An outline of the report format will be provided in class. The MMPI-2 and MCMI-III reports will include interview information and data from one measure. The final report will integrate information from the interview, MMPI-2, MCMI-III, and MIPS-R. Reports will be graded for accuracy of content as well as quality of writing. See Class Schedule for due dates. 100 points each

• Test Evaluation – The objective of this assignment is to expand your knowledge of other objective personality and psychopathology measures. Select a test that is likely to be used by a qualified mental health practitioner for adult personality or psychopathology assessment (e.g., 16 PF, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Personality Assessment Inventory, SCL-90-R, Strong Interest Inventory). Using outline format, provide the following information: (a) test title, (b) author, (c) publisher, (d) dates of publication, (e) time required to administer, (f) cost, (g) general type of test, (h) target population, (i) style of test content, (j) description of test items and scores (including subscales), (k) features of the test, (l) directions for administration, (m) scoring procedures, (n) training required to administer, (o) standardization procedures, (p) reliability, (q) validity, (r) reviewer’s comments, (s) personal comments, and (t) references. The following sources will aid your test evaluation: Mental Measurements Yearbook, Tests in Print V, specific test manuals, research articles, and online information. Additionally, each student will give a 15-20 minute presentation of her or his test to the class. Points will be deducted from presentations taking more than 20 minutes. Bring copies of your evaluation for each class member. Students will inform the instructor of their test of choice on 1/25/2007 and presentation dates will be assigned. (Because students might choose the same test, please come prepared with 2 or 3 choices.) 50 points

For Students with Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability may request an adjustment to course requirements and procedures. In order to request such an adjustment, you should contact Mr. Christopher Moy in the Liberal Arts Center 201, extension 2549.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  Any written or orally presented material must be in your own words with appropriate citation for paraphrasing another's work. Any direct quotes from another source must be designated with quotation marks and cited appropriately. See the APA manual for additional information about plagiarism and visit Marywood library's webpage for useful links regarding plagiarism ().  Please note that quoting or using the exact wording of another author because you do not understand what is written is unacceptable.  Any assignments completed through plagiarism will earn 0 points. 

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date specified in the class schedule. Assignments that are submitted late will receive a 10% deduction from your grade for each day that it is late. If you are unable to submit the assignment in person, it must be sent via e-mail or postal mail on the due date; otherwise, a deduction to the grade will apply.

Class Schedule

|Date |Topic/Activities |Reading Assignments |

|1/18/2007 |Introduction |Review Zimmerman |

| |Complete MMPI-2 | |

|1/25/2007 |Select Test Evaluation Topic |Butcher, Chapters 2, 17, 18 |

| |Foundations of Assessment |Schwarz on reserve |

|2/1/2007 |Self-Assessment Completed |Butcher, Chapters 20, 24-26 |

| |Realms of Assessment | |

|2/8/2007 |Adult Assessment Completed |Graham, Chapters 1-4 |

| |MMPI-2 Scoring and Interpretation | |

|2/15/2007 |Test Evaluation Presentations (2) |Graham, Chapters 5, 9, 11 |

| |MMPI-2 Scoring and Interpretation | |

| |(Bring transparency of MMPI-2 profile.) | |

|2/22/2007 |MMPI-2 Report Due |Butcher, Chapter 10 |

| |Ethics |Berndt & Pope on reserve |

|2/28/2007 |MCMI-III Scoring and Interpretation |Strack, Chapter 1 |

| |(Bring transparency of MCMI-III profile.) | |

|3/1/2007 |Test Evaluation Presentations (4) |Butcher, Chapters 11-13 |

| |Assessment of Diverse Populations | |

|3/8/2007 |Spring Break – No Class | |

|3/15/2007 |MCMI-III Report Due |Butcher, Chapters 14-16 |

| |Assessment of Diverse Populations | |

|3/22/2007 |MIPS-R Scoring and Interpretation |Strack, Chapter 5 |

| |(Bring transparency of MIPS-R profile.) | |

|3/29/2007 |Test Evaluation Presentations (4) |Butcher, Chapters 3, 7 & 19 |

| |Treatment Planning and Malingering | |

|4/5/2007 |Easter Recess - No Class | |

|4/12/2007 |Integrated Report Due | |

| |Course Evaluation | |

Voluntary Consent Agreement

I, _______________________________ (volunteer participant’s full name) agree to participate in an educational training, which includes the administration of diagnostic interviews and psychological assessment by

_______________________________ (student’s full name), a graduate student at Marywood University enrolled in PSY 580, Assessment of Adult Personality and Psychopathology.

I am aware that the interview and/or testing will be reported anonymously (without any identifying information being disclosed). This is an educational exercise conducted solely for the purpose of the student being trained and evaluated by Dr. Janet L. Muse-Burke, a faculty member at Marywood University. No one outside of the PSY 580 class will be allowed to observe the test materials and related documents. Questions should be directed to:

Janet L. Muse-Burke, Ph.D.

Marywood University

Graduate Department of Counseling and Psychology

2300 Adams Avenue

Scranton, PA 18509

E-mail: jlmuse-burke@marywood.edu

Office Phone: 570-348-6211 ext. 2367

I have been informed that the assessments conducted do not constitute a valid personality assessment and that feedback will not be provided. I recognize that my participation in this process is entirely voluntary. I have been told that I will receive a copy of this consent form, and Dr. Muse-Burke will keep another copy in a secure, academic file.

I am also aware that if the process of completing these assessments and/or interview evokes awareness of mental health issues or distress, I may appropriately seek professional assistance through any of the following ways:

• I may call my physician/primary care provider or seek a referral from my insurance provider;

• I may directly and confidentially contact a licensed mental health professional or my regional community mental health center;

• I may go directly to a hospital emergency room or telephone emergency services (such as “911”).

Participant Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _______________

Student Signature: ________________________________________ Date: _______________

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