Distinguish between self-report, projective, and behavioral assessment measures of personality. What are some criticisms of "projective" tests such as the Rorschach test?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Students' examples may vary. The answer should include the following points:

Self-report measures: These are objective, "paper-and-pencil" measures of personality. They usually include simple items that ask the individuals taking the test about their own behavior.

Projective measures: These tests tend to contain a small number of relatively ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots. The respondent is asked to interpret, describe, or tell a story about the stimuli. These measures require substantial care and skill in their interpretation.

Criticisms of projective measures: Critics contend that projective tests require too much inference on the part of the examiner, that they resist standardization, and that they lack reliability and validity.

Behavioral assessment measures: These are direct measures of an individual's behavior designed to describe characteristics indicative of personality. Such measures may be obtained in naturalistic or in highly controlled laboratory settings. Ideally, behavioral assessment measures are highly objective and quantifiable. They are especially useful in observing and remedying specific behavioral difficulties, such as shyness in children.