Psy 8612 MMPI-2 1
Psy 8612 Assessment II: Objective Personality Assessment
William M. Grove (612) 625-1599 (651) 578-8004 grove001@umn.edu
Version 3 03/31/14
Spring 2014
N423 Elliott Hall 12 noon-3 p.m.
Purpose . The purpose of this part of Assessment II is to teach the student about personality and psychopathology inventories, using the MMPI-2 as the main example but also giving limited coverage to the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI).
Specific Learning Objectives.
1.
To learn basic content and psychometric facts about the MMPI-R and, to a more limited degree, the MCMI.
2.
To learn how to choose a personality inventory for use with a particular client, how to administer it, how to score it (both as MMPI-2 and MMPI-RF, to be explained in class, how to profile it, and how to code it.
3.
To learn about the concepts behind, development of, and how it fits into the whole MMPI-2 profile.
4.
To learn about the concepts behind, and use of scales in, the MCMI. The use of Base Rate scores
5.
To learn to judge the validity of an inventory protocol.
6.
To interpret an inventory scale by scale.
7.
To interpret an MMPI-2 profile by the whole profile, i.e., configurally.
8.
Acquire basic factual knowledge about the Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory.
Warning : The above is not meant to imply that the class will focus on writing out MMPI-2 interpretations of profiles. That skill is taught in the laboratory section. Instead, this part of the class is devoted to the scientific underpinnings of MMPI-2 (and –RF) interpretation.
Class Format . Lecture with integrated discussion from all class members.
Evaluation and Grading : Based on performance in in-class discussions (55%), plus a 50-item multiplechoice final examination (50%). This grade will then be integrated with evaluation information from the first half of the course, plus lab performance.
The multiple-choice final exam will be given during finals week, Wednesday May 14, 1:30-3:30 p.m. in
N423 Elliott Hall.
Text : There are four assigned texts, i.e., buy, rent, beg or steal the first2, get the third and fourth ones for free from me (in your mailbox, #3 put in box before this part of course starts, #4 will be put in box significantly before Tellegen’s lecture), and find a copy of the fourth to borrow:
1.
Butcher, J.N., & Williams, C.L. (2000). Essentials of MMPI-2 and MMPI-A interpretation , 2 nd ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. This can be obtained at www.amazon.com
; they have reduced-price used copies.
2.
Butcher, J.N. (Ed.) (2000). Basic Sources on the MMPI-2.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
Press.
3.
Butcher, J.N., Graham, J.R., Ben-Porath, Y.S., Tellegen, A., Dahlstrom, W.G., & Kaemmer, B.
(2001). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2: Manual . Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press. I will get you a copy of this free and put it in your mailbox significantly before this part of the course starts. There’s also a copy of a previous edition, almost word-for-word identical to the current versi0n, scanned and put on your readings CV/DVD.)
4.
Tellegen, A., Ben-Porath, Y.S., McNulty, J., Arbisi, P.A., Graham, J.R., & Kaemmer, B. (2003).
The MMPI-2 Restructured Clinical Scales: Development, validation, and interpretation.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. (Hereafter referred to as Restructured.) I have to obtain these yet, but when I do (and significantly before Prof. Tellegen’s class session on the RC scales, I’ll put a free copy of this manual in your second floor Elliott Hall mailboxe in the not too distant futures. (It’s also scanned in and put on your readings CD/DVD.)

Psy 8612 MMPI-2 2
Readings:
The readings assigned for each class session need to be read before that class, so we can have a productive and interesting discussion about them. I have put the readings into two categories, following the concensus opinion of the class: 1/3 of them, approximately, are in an “Optional Reading” category which will reward you if you read it, and contain useful information, but are not critically important for acquiring a basic, working understanding of the MMPI-2 and its interpretation. The other 2/3 of the readings are not specially marked (i.e., do not say “Optional” on them), and these are mandatory readings.

Psy 8612 MMPI-2 3
3/24 MMPI-2 introduction, development
Readings:
Dates, Topics, and Assigned Readings
Basic Sources on the MMPI-2 book (hereafter referred to as Sources ), chap. 1-8
Grove
Butcher & Williams book, chapters 1-2
MMPI-2 Manual (hereafter referred to as Manual.
) “Introduction, and Basic qualifications for use; administering, scoring, and profiling the MMPI-2.”
Optional Reading: Butcher, J.N., Graham, J.R., Williams, C.L., & Ben-Porath, Y.S. (1990).
Development and use of the MMPI-2 content scales.
(Hereafter referred to as Content Scales book). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Chapter 1.
Optional Reading: Manual, Appendix G: Itemmetric data (just scan the leftmost column, as it gives the verbatim content of each of the 567 items)
Optional Reading: “Restandardization project” chapter from
Content Scales book
3/31 MMPI/MMPI-2 Psychometrics, special scales Grove
Optional Reading: Manual , Appendix E-4, E-5, E-1, E-2 (tables of reliability coefficients (skim only)
Optional Reading: Manual, Appendix F-1 Intercorrelations of the validity and clinical scales, skim only)
Sources book, chapter 10
Optional Reading: Leonelli, B.T., Chang, C.-H., Bock, R.D., & Schilling, S.G.
Interpretation of a full-information item-level factor analysis of the MMPI-2:
Normative sampling and nonpathognomonic descriptors. Journal of Personality
Assessment, 74, 400-422.
Dahlstrom, W.G. (1992). Comparability of 2-point high-point code patterns from original MMPI norms to MMPI-2 norms for the restandardization sample. Journal of Personality Assessment, 59 , 153-
164.
Sources book, chapter 15
Optional Reading: Content scales book, chapter 3
Content scales book, chapter 4
Optional Reading: Block, J. (1965). The challenge of response sets: Unconfounding meaning, acquiescence, and social desirability in the MMPI . New York: Appleton-Century Crofts. Chapters 4, 7.
(Read for gist)
Sources book, chapter 22
Grove 4/7 MMPI-2 Validity Scales
Sources book, chapters 25, 27
Butcher & Williams book, chapter 3
Optional Reading: Manual , “Determining protocol acceptability”
4/14 MMPI-2 Clinical scales
Manual , “Standard clinical scales” pp. 25-30
Grove

Psy 8612 MMPI-2 4
5/5
Butcher & Williams book, chapter 4
4/21 Restructured Clinical Scales, MMPI-RF Prof. Tellegen)
Optional Reading: Tellegen et al.: Entire Restructured Scales monograph (“Tellegen et al.” folder on CD/DVD)
JPA Special Issue on RC Scales (entire, folder on CD/DVD)
4/28 Configural interpretation of MMPI-2 profiles
Butcher & Williams book, Chapter 5.
Grove
Optional Reading: Gynther, Altman, & Sletten article (on CD/DVD)
Lachar book (folder on CD/DVD; skim this don’t try to memorize it)
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory
Manual for the MCMI-II p. 19 table, pp. 93- 100, 18-20 (skip 21-27) & 28-35
Grove
Millon, T. (Ed.). (1997). The Millon inventories : Clinical and personality assessment . New York: Guilford Press. Chapters 2-3.
Optional Reading: Grove & Vrieze article (in root directory of CD/DVD)
Rogers, Salekin, & Sewell article (on CD/DVD)
Repko & Cooper article (on CD/DVD)