ArgosyUniversity
COURSE SYLLABUS
PP7371
OBJECTIVE PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT
Mondays and Wednesdays, 6-8:45PM
Summer 1 2010
Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Ascher Levy, Psy.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information: (312) 433-6678 ;
Office Hours: Monday andWednesday, 5-6 PM
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this course is to develop the skills necessary to interpret the major objective personality tests, particularly the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A, integrate data from background information and test data, and present this information in a psychological report. The course will introduce the interpretation of these tests and focus on how to apply clinical judgment to the data. There also will be an introduction to other objective personality tests including the MCMI-III, MACI, PAI, MMPI-RF and 16 PF. An additional primary focus of the course will be developing the skills to communicate this information in clear, concise, written reports that address the referral questions and diagnostic issues.
Required Textbook
Butcher and Williams (2000), Essentials of MMPI-2 and MMPI-A Interpretation, 2nd Edition, University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3552-8
Other Recommended Resources (not required)
Friedman, Lewak, Nichols, and Webb (2001) Psychological Assessment with the MMPI-2
Archer (2005) MMPI-A, Assessing Adolescent Psychopathology, 3rd Edition
Graham (2005) MMPI-2 Assessing Personality and Psychopathology, 4th Edition
Pope et al (2000) The MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A In Court: A Practical Guide for Expert
Witnesses and Attorneys (Second Edition).
Technology: Pentium III CPU/Windows 98; 128MB RAM, printer; Microsoft Office Acrobat (full version), Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC) 5.0 MAC or Netscape Navigator 4.08. Norton Antivirus. ArgosyUniversity encourages the use of technology throughout the curriculum. Some of the assignments used in this class will include computer scored MMPI-2 and MMPI-A profiles. Students will be allowed to use computer generated interpretive reports for their homework and test assignments. However, according to APA ethics with respect to the use of these reports, students are not permitted to include statements copied directly from these reports in their own written work.
Course Length: 15 weeks Contact Hours: 45 hours Credit Value: 3.0
AMERICANS with DISABILITY ACT POLICY:
It is the policy of the Argosy University/Illinois School of Professional Psychology-Chicago Campus to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to students upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his/her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Academic Dishonesty/Plagarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, ArgosyUniversity requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sourcesmust be documented through normal scholarly references/citations, and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001).WashingtonDC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the ArgosyUniversity catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism. For the purpose of this course, plagiarism is considered direct copying from source books, fellow students, or computer generated printout interpretations. Students may also consult and receive feedback with regard to their writing style from the AcademicResourceCenter of the University or the teaching assistant.
Scholarly Writing: The faculty at ArgosyUniversity is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.
The ArgosyUniversity Statement Regarding Diversity
ArgosyUniversity prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Library
All resources in ArgosyUniversity’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.
Library Resources: ArgosyUniversity’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career and General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied health, and Social & Behavioral Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at In addition to online resources, ArgosyUniversity’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: ArgosyUniversity’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutuorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at
EVALUATION AND GRADING
A / 100 – 93A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
D+ / 69 – 68
D / 67 – 63
D- / 62 – 60
F / 59 and below
Grading Requirements Grading Scale
Validity Assignment / 10%2 Case write-ups- 30% each / 60%
Test Comparison presentation to class with other students / 20%
Class Participation and attendance / 10%
100%
Class Participation and Attendance: If you are unable to attend a class or you will be tardy, you must contact Dr. Levy before the class begins or it will be considered unexcused. Class participation grading will be based upon appropriate participation during experiential exercises (on-task behavior), and asking or responding to questions during lectures.
Test Comparison Presentations: You are to choose on of the following tests (MCMI-III, MACI, MMPI-RF,PAI, or 16PF) and compare it to the MMPI-2/MMPI-A with regard to following variables: Test development, identified purpose of test, norm group data, validity scales, clinical scales, additional scales, quantity and quality of research on test, comparison with MMPI-2/MMPI-A, personal assessment. You will meet with other students to prepare a 30-40 minute presentation on the test to the class.
COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:
Please note that the following is subject to change.
Week / Topic / Reading / Assignment1- (5/10) / Overview of course and syllabus, brief history of the MMPI-2, testing ethics, introduction to assessment, what is covered in a psychological assessment / Chapters 1 and 2 / Take MMPI-2
2 -(5/12) / Integrating background history and test data. Discussion about MMPI-2 experience and intro to test. How to administer and hand-score the MMPI-2. / Chapter 3 and hand-outs on validity scale items / Form impressions from scale items about how L, F, and K scales may work for class discussion next class
3- (5/17) / Introduction to MMPI-2 Validity Scales. Discussion of when validity most likely to be an issue. Validity practice cases. Bring text to class. / Chapter 4 / Work on validity practice case handout(s) that will be covered in next class
4- (5/19) / Validity practice cases. Bring text to class. / Review clinical scale items from packet; form impressions from test questions about what the 10 scales and sub-scales measure for discussion in next class.
Homework assignment 1 handed out-validity assessment (due next class 5-24).
5-(5/24) / Introduction to clinical and Harris & Lingoe scales. Case examples. Bring text to class. Due date for informing Dr. Levy of objective test you will use for presentation. / Chapter 5 and Caldwell Handout / Homework #1 due start of class.
6- (5/26) / Go over homework assignment. Intro to Code-types and interpretation with case examples. Bring text to class.
No class on 5/31 for Memorial Day Holiday / Chapters 6 and 7 and go over case , review handouts on content, supplementary, PSY-5 and RC scales. / Case 1 handed out. Due Class 10 (6-14)
7-(6/2) / Intro toSupplementary, Content, PSY-5 and Restructured Clinical (RC) scales. Complete midterm course evaluations.
8 - (6/7) / Intro to Caldwell theoretical case conceptualizations. / Chapter 8.
9- (6/9) / MMPI-2 and diagnosis, Treatment issues/planning with the MMPI-2. Practice cases. Critical items. Bring text to class. / Read section on different populations in book, pgs. 421-425 / Go over case example for next class
10-(6/14) / Different Populations and MMPI-2. Case Example. Bring text to class. / Read chapters 9, 10, and 11. / Case #2 handed out, due (6/28).
11-(6/16) / Adolescent assessment issues. Introduction to MMPI-A and structural summary.Adolescent sample case. / Chapters 12, 13, and 14
12-
(6-21) / Feedback on first case.Report format. More MMPI-2 case practice.
13-(6/23) / Student presentations on other objective tests.
14-(6/28) / Student presentations on other objective tests. Feedback on final exams / Final case due start of class