Test History and Development Flashcards
7 cards from real MMPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Test History and Development flashcards as text
What was the primary methodological approach used to select items for the original MMPI?
Answer: Empirical criterion keying comparing normals to psychiatric patients
Hathaway and McKinley used empirical criterion keying, selecting items that statistically differentiated clinical groups from normal controls regardless of face validity.
The MMPI-2 normative sample collected in the late 1980s consisted of approximately how many adults?
Answer: 1,138 men and 1,462 women from seven states
The MMPI-2 restandardization project collected data from 2,600 adults (1,138 men and 1,462 women) across seven states to create a more representative normative sample.
Which feature distinguished the MMPI-A from the MMPI-2 in terms of its normative base?
Answer: It established separate norms for adolescents aged 14–18
The MMPI-A (1992) established distinct normative data based on adolescents aged 14–18, recognizing that adult norms were inappropriate for this population.
What term describes the MMPI's original item-selection strategy, where items were retained solely because they separated groups, not because of their content meaning?
Answer: Empirical keying
Empirical keying means items are selected purely on the basis of statistical group differentiation, without regard to their apparent or theoretical content meaning.
Starke Hathaway's professional background before developing the MMPI was primarily in which field?
Answer: Physiological and clinical psychology
Hathaway was a psychologist with training in physiological psychology and clinical assessment, which shaped his empirical, data-driven approach to personality measurement.
Which of the following best describes the 'cannot say' (?) score on the MMPI?
Answer: The count of items left unanswered or marked both true and false
The Cannot Say score is simply the raw count of items omitted or answered both True and False, and high scores can attenuate clinical scale elevations.
The term 'profile code type' in MMPI interpretation refers to which of the following?
Answer: A notation recording the two or three highest elevated clinical scales
A profile code type identifies the one, two, or three most elevated clinical scales (e.g., 2-7 or 4-9), allowing clinicians to reference research on those configurations.