| CODE | PSY5580 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Adult Assessment – Theory and Placement | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The practicum offers students the opportunity to use a variety of tests within different levels of training. Students will be able to administer and score tests both by themselves and under supervision. The sessions will be held partially individually and partially in groups. Tests used are as follows: - The Rorschach Inkblot Test - The Thematic Apperception Test - The Rotter Incomplete Sentence Test - The NEO Personality Inventory – Revised (NEO PI-R) - The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI - III) - The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI-2) AIMS The course intends to provide the student with a wide exposure the psychological assessment techniques and to understand their rationale. LEARNING OUTCOMES Knowledge and Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student should be able to understand, apply and interpret a select number of psychological tests and assessment techniques to be applied in clinical/counselling settings. Skills: Students will be able to administer and score a series of psychological tests for adults at the lowest level, whereas for the more advanced level tests they will be able to observe their administration, scoring and interpretation. Attitude: The students should become aware of their own biases and attitudes which may hinder the testing process, such as the mystique that surrounds such a practice. They will learn to take a non-discriminatory and non-judgmental approach during administration of the tests, as well as an objective clinical stance. They should avoid falling into extremes of reading more into the test by overestimating its information on the one hand, or failing to capture the essential features on the other hand. In the course of their report writing students will adopt a language which does not foster stigma, but one which captures a working formulation of the case at hand, with a specific focus on the individual rather than the diagnostic label or condition. OUTLINE: Personality Measurement Through Projective Techniques 1. The Rorschach Inkblot Test The classic Rorschach evaluates basic personality structure and detects possible psychopathology in children, adolescents, and adults. Rorschach scores are based on the patient’s responses to the unique inkblot designs on 10 psychodiagnostic plates. Features * Developed over 50 years ago the Rorschach is one of the most widely used and respected projective psychological tests available. * Because reading is not required for administration, this test can overcome language or other barriers associated with reading and comprehension. * The students will be introduced to the various scoring systems, and specifically, to Exner’s Comprehensive Scoring System. 2. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) The TAT was conceived by H.A.Murray (Morgan & Murray, 1935) as a projective test, through the medium of the imaginative productions of the subject, made possible inferences about themes of import on the subject’s life, and from these in turn about “needs” and other forces outstanding in the underlying dynamics of his personality. The advantages of the TAT are that it goes beyond the cultural and linguistic barriers, and it offers an important tool in bypassing defences and resistances in probing into the unconscious. 3. The Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank The Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank is a projective psychological test developed by Julian Rotter. It comes in three forms, for different age groups, and comprises 40 incomplete sentences, usually only 1-2 words long such as "I regret ...". The subject is asked to complete the sentence. Compared to positivist instruments, such as Likert-type scales, sentence completion tests tend to have high face validity (i.e., the extent to which measurement items accurately reflect the concept being measured). This is to be expected, because in many cases the sentence stems name or refer to specific objects and the respondent provides responses specifically focused on such objects. Personality Measurements through Self-Report 4. The Five-Factor measure of adult personality: The NEO Personality Inventory – Revised (NEO PI-R) The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Paul T.Costa, Jr., Ph.D, and Robert R. McCrae, PhD.), the standard questionnaire measure of the five-factor measure of adult personality, provides a systematic assessment of emotional, interpersonal, experiential, attitudinal, and motivational styles. The NEO PI-R is a concise measure of the 5 domains of personality, as well as of 6 traits or facets that define each domain. Taken together, the 5 domain scales and 30 facet scales of the NEO PI-R, facilitate a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the normal adult personality. 5. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory -III (MCMI – III) The MCMI –III is a self-report instrument designed to assess DSM – IV related personality disorders and clinical syndromes coordinated with Millon’s theory of personality. The new scales provide insight into 14 personality disorders and 10 clinical syndromes. Psychologists and other qualified mental health professionals use the MCMI –III in clinical and counselling settings where people are being evaluated for emotional or interpersonal difficulties. It can be used to: - Assess Axis I and Axis II disorders based on the DSM-IV classification system. - Identify personality characteristics underlying a patient’s presenting symptoms. Early identification of personality disorders can help the clinician develop a more effective, short- term treatment plan. - Guide treatment decisions by providing an integrated picture of personality characteristics and clinical syndromes. Considering a patient’s personality can help the clinician design efficient treatment programs and become aware of potential barriers or obstacles to treatment. 6. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) The MMPI-2 is one of the easiest personality assessment instruments to use in a clinical practice, since it requires little professional time to administer and score; however, the interpretation requires the care, skill, and experience of a trained practitioner. The MMPI-2 is cost effective since administration and scoring can be done by clerical staff. The only professional time required involves the interpretation (1hr 30min for patient to answer items; it takes 15min to hand score and draw a profile; and it takes an experienced interpreter about 30min to prepare a profile interpretation) BIBLIOGRAPHY: - Butcher, James Neal (1990), MMPI-2 in psychological treatment. Oxford University Press - Costa,P.T & McCrae,R.R (1992). NEO PI-R Professional - Manual, Odessa, Fl: Psychological Assessment Resources. - Exner, John E. (1993), The Rorschach, A Comprehensive System, Vol.1: Basic Foundations. 3rd. Ed.New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - Exner, John E. (1995). A Rorschach Workbook For the Comprehensive System. Ashville, North Carolina: Rorschach Workshops. - Millon, Theodore (1996). Disorders of Personality DSM-IV TM. and Beyond. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - Piedmont,R.L.(1998).The revised NEO Personality - Inventory: clinical and research applications,N.Y: Plenum Press,234. - Rapaport, David, Gill, Merton, M, and Shafer, Roy (1968), “The Thematic ApperceptionTest” in Diagnostic Psychological Testing. New York: International Universities Press, Inc. pp.464-515. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practicum | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Roberta Farrugia Debono Joseph Farrugia Paul Galea |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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