Personality Assessment

A survey on concepts, methods, procedures and materials concerning the assessment of personality, this text emphasizes the means and methods of assessment. Theories, research and issues concerning human personality that have influenced psychological assessment are also considered.

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Now in its third, fully revised edition, this text is a survey of concepts, methods, procedures and materials concerning the assessment of personality. It emphasizes the means and methods of assessment, but also considers theories, research and issues concerning human personality that have influenced psychological assessment. It is designed primarily for use in a one-semester course on personality assessment at the upper undergraduate or beginning graduate level. It is also appropriate to combine the text with lectures or readings on personality theories and research, or with material on cognitive assessment. It can be used in courses on personality or in a comprehensive course on psychological testing and assessment. In addition to being a textbook, this volume can also be used as a source book, providing coverage of a wide range of instruments and procedures, a comprehensive glossary, an appendix of test publishers and addresses, an extensive bibliography, and complete indexes of authors, subjects, and tests. These features add to the book's value as a reference source for professional psychologists and researchers in the behavioural sciences.
The book is, however, written primarily as an integrated, survey text. Each of the 13 chapters of the book ends with a summary, a set of exercises and activities, and a list of suggested readings for further study of the topic. Numerous illustrations and examples provide students with a background for selecting and using a variety of personality assessment devices and an understanding of their assets and limitations. Students are urged to scrutinize the psychometric qualities (reliability, validity, standardization and others) of the various instruments and to become thoroughly familiar with the administration, scoring and interpretation procedures. The necessity for making multiple observations and measurements, depending on the goals of the psychological assessment, and integrating findings from different sources are also stressed. Procedures for reporting assessment results to appropriate persons and subsequent follow-up and retesting are also discussed.