Personality Assessment: PSY 831
Spring 2011, Tuesdays 1:50-4:40
153 Psychology Building
Professor: Christopher J. Hopwood, Ph.D.
(hopwood2@msu.edu)
Purpose: The purpose of this graduate clinical psychology course is to cover the empirical and clinical bases of
personality assessment. The course covers the history and theory of measurement in psychology broadly, the
influences of personality development on psychological assessment; theories of test construction as applied to a
range of assessment methods, test administration and interpretation; how to conduct psychological assessments
in a clinical context; interviewing; and report writing. It will consist of didactic training as well as a practical
component to facilitate both understanding of and experience with personality assessment instruments.
Course Overview: This course will provide basic preparatory knowledge of the psychometric underpinnings of
psychological assessment as well as how to use an array of instruments in clinical work, including how to
administer and interpret tests, write reports, and provide feedback and consultation. Some background familiarity
with adult psychopathology, basic psychometrics and inferential statistics, and theories of personality and clinical
intervention is assumed. This course will focus exclusively on personality assessment; a companion course covers
cognitive and neuropsychological assessment. The MSU Psychology Department also offers an advanced graduate
courses on psychometrics.
Course Objectives: The goals of this class include for students to a) become familiar with the history of personality
assessment and principles of measurement, b) become familiar with commonly used instruments, c) develop an
approach to personality assessment that is guided by theory, previous research, and ongoing data collection in the
clinical encounter, d) learn how to write effective psychological reports, e) learn how to help assessee’s get the
most out of being assessed, and f) learn how to consult with other professionals around assessment data. In sum,
this class should prepare students for conducting personality assessments professionally.
Course Format: In order to emphasize the theory and research relevant to assessment as well as the practice of
assessment, this course will consist of weekly 3-hour didactics, including required readings, as well as a lab
component that will occur outside of the classroom. The lab component will consist of clinical interviews and
writing reaction papers and reports.
Grades: Grades will be based on three sources: 3 exams that will account for 50% of your final grade (16.67%
each), and 9 assignments will account for 45% (5% each) of your grade, and class participation (5% total). Exams
and assignments will be completed outside of class.
Instructor Availability: I am available by appointment. Alternatively, my office door (107A Psychology) is often
open and when it is you are welcome to come in.
Michigan State University PSY 831: Personality Assessment, Spring, 2011 1
Required Books:
Archer, R.P. & Smith, S.R. (2008). Personality Assessment. New York: Routledge.
Kazdin, A.E. (2002). Methodological Issues and Strategies in Clinical Research (3 rd Edition). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
Wiggins, J.S. (2003). Paradigms of Personality Assessment. New York: Guilford.
Other Readings (will be provided):
Blais, M.A. & Hopwood, C.J. (2010). A model of personality organization to integrate assessment data from
multiple sources. In Blais, Mark A., Baity, Mathew R., & Hopwood, Christopher J. Clinical Applications of
the Personality Assessment Inventory. NY: Routledge Mental Health.
Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod
matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-105.
Cronbach, L. J. & Meehl, P. E. (1955). Construct validity in psychological tests. Psychological Bulletin, 52, 281-302.
Donnellan, M. B. & Robins, R. W. (2009). The development of personality across the life span. In G. Matthews and
P. Corr (Eds). Cambridge Handbook of Personality Cambridge University Press.
Embretson, S.E. (1996). The new rules of measurement. Psychological Assessment, 8, 341-349.
Finn, S.E. (2007). In Our Clients’ Shoes: Theory and techniques of therapeutic assessment. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Haynes, S.N., Leisen, M.B., & Blaine, D.D. (1997). Design of individualized behavioral treatment programs using
functional analytic clinical case models. Psychological Assessment, 9, 334-348.
Hiller, J.B., Rosenthal, R., Bornstein, R.F., Berry, D.T.R., & Brunell-Neuleib, S. (1999). A comparative meta-analysis of
the Rorschach and MMPI validity. Psychological Assessment, 11, 278-296.
Hopwood, C.J. (2010). An interpersonal perspective on the personality assessment process. Journal of Personality
Assessment, 92, 471-479 .
Lee, K., & Ashton, M. C. (2007). Factor analysis in personality research. Handbook of Research Methods in
Personality (pp. 424-443). New York: Guilford press.
Loevinger, J. (1957). Objective tests as instruments of psychological theory. Psychological Reports, 3, 635-694.
Meehl, P. E., & Rosen, A. (1955). Antecedent probability and the efficiency of psychometric signs, patterns or
cutting scores. Psychological Bulletin, 52, 194-216.
Morey, L.C. & Hopwood, C.J. (2007). Casebook for the Personality Assessment Inventory: A structural summary
approach. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Schmitt, N. (1996). Uses and abuses of coefficient alpha. Psychological Assessment, 8, 350-353.
Wiggins, J.S. (1973). Personality and prediction: Principles of personality assessment. Reading, MA: AddisonWesley.
Michigan State University PSY 831: Personality Assessment, Spring, 2011 2
Schedule:
Date
Topic
Reading (complete prior to class)
Assignments (bring to class)
1/11
History of Personality
Assessment
Wiggins, 1973, Chapter 1; Cronbach &
Meehl, 1955; Clark & Watson (Kazdin);
Loevinger, 1957
1/18
Psychometrics
Embretson, 1996; Haynes (Kazdin); Lee &
Ashton, 1996; Schmitt, 1996
Reaction Paper
1/25
Prediction
Campbell & Fiske, 1959; Meehl & Rosen,
1955; Meyer et al. (Kazdin); Wiggins, 1973,
ch. 1
Reaction Paper
2/1
Developmental and
Cultural Issues
Costa & McCrae (A&S); Donnellan & Robins,
2009; Merrell & Harlacher (A&S)
Exam 1
2/8
Approaches to
Personality Assessment
Wiggins, 2003 (Intro, 3,4,7,10)
2/15
MMPI
Ben-Porath & Archer (A&S); Wiggins, 2003
(ch. 5,11)
Initial Interview with Instructor
2/22
Performance-Based
Assessment
Hiller et al., 1995; Meyer & Viglione (A&S)
Report
3/1
Performance-Based
Assessment
Ackerman et al. (A&S); Wiggins, 2003 (1,8)
Integrative Report
3/15
PAI Development
Morey & Hopwood (A&S)
Exam 2
3/22
PAI Interpretation
Blais & Hopwood (2010); Morey & Hopwood
(2007) selected chapters
3/29
PAI Interpretation
Morey & Hopwood (2007) selected chapters
Report
4/5
IIP-SC Interpretation
Pincus, Lukowitsky, & Wright (2010);
Wiggins, 2003 (2, 9)
Report
4/12
Feedback, Interviewing,
and Treatment Planning
Finn, 2007 (ch. 1); Finn & Fischer (A&S);
Haynes, Leisen, & Blaine, 1997; Maruish
(A&S)
Report
4/19
Interpretation
Wiggins, 2003 (12); Hopwood, 2010
Integrative Report: Madeline
4/26
Interpretation
Blais & Smith (A&S)
Exam 3 with Instructor
Michigan State University PSY 831: Personality Assessment, Spring, 2011 3