Canyon College: PY586 - Psychological Assessment III: Objective Personality Assessment

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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: PY586 - Psychological Assessment III: Objective Personality Assessment

Course Title:	PY586 - Psychological Assessment III: Objective Personality Assessment
Department:	School of Psychology
Instructor:	David King, PhD E-Mail -- Vita

Course Overview

The purpose of this course is to explore psychometric personality assessment. The focus of this course is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – 2 (MMPI-2). In this course you will learn theory and practice of this psychometric instrument.

Required Texts Online Bookstore

Butcher, J. N., Graham, J. R., Ben-Porath, Tellegen, A., Y. S., Dahlstrom, W. G. (2001). MMPI-2 manual for administration, scoring and interpretation (Revised Ed.). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

You must order the whole kit for the MMPI-2. The MMPI-2 testing equipment is available from: Pearson Assessments. The kit is a restricted sales product and the college must place the order for you. Please contact Canyon College Administrative Services so that they may place the order for you. The last known price is $825 (October, 2009). The estimated cost with shipping and sales tax is $915.75.

ASSIGNMENTS

Reading assignment: By the time you have completed UNIT FOUR, you should have carefully read the first 52 pages of the text and familiarized yourself with the rest of the text.

UNIT ONE
Review the text for ethics information regarding the use of the MMPI-2. Review the discussions of ethics from when you completed PY582 (or other similar course which emphasized ethical use of psychometric instruments). Draft a brief paper (a page or two) outlining ethical concerns you have for this class, the MMPI-2 in general, and your possible future use of the instrument. NB: in UNITs FIVE and SEVEN you will be administering the MMPI-2 to someone you know. Include in this assignment what you will tell this volunteer subject about the MMPI-2, why you will be administering the instrument to them, what they can expect during and after the time they take the instrument, and what you will do with the results. Keep in mind that you do not yet have the necessary credentials and experience to interpret the instrument for a subject; therefore, you must tell the volunteer before administering the instrument that they will not be receiving results back from you. Full disclosure to your volunteer participant is an absolute ethical requirement for this class.

UNIT TWO
Review the text for information about the norming and reliability of the MMPI-2. Write a brief paper on these topics (define the topics and discuss the points relative to the MMPI-2). Use of scholarly sources other than the text is optional but will likely help you further develop your understanding of the instrument.

UNIT THREE
Using the text and additional scholarly sources, write a brief paper (at least two pages) reviewing likely applications for the MMPI-2. For instance, what professionals use the MMPI-2? Why? What beneficial outcomes are noted? What pitfalls are inherent in the use of the instrument?

UNIT FOUR
Submit a list of the MMPI-2’s scales, define each of the scales, and describe their use in the practice of psychology.

UNIT FIVE
5a. Begin this unit by sending an e-mail to the professor. In the e-mail, either: (1) state that you are comfortable with the process of administering and scoring the MMPI-2 or (2) state that you are not comfortable with the process of administering and scoring the MMPI-2. If your e-mail indicates response (2), specifically note your areas of concern. Do not proceed with this unit until your questions have been satisfactorily answered and you are confident you can appropriately administer and score the instrument.
5b. Review your work on the topics of ethics and full disclosure from Unit 1.
5c. Only after you have completed 5a and 5b, administer and score one administration of the MMPI-2. Submit the materials to the professor. The most efficient way to submit these materials to the professor is to scan them and send them as e-mail attachments. If you cannot do this, e-mail the professor for a fax number you can use to fax the materials (also applies to UNIT SEVEN).

UNIT SIX
Write a brief paper reviewing your administration of the instrument in Unit Five. Describe the experience from your perspective as well as your volunteer’s. Note anything you would do differently. What important lessons, if any, did you learn?

UNIT SEVEN
After receiving the professor’s feedback on your UNIT FIVE assignment, complete another administration of the MMPI-2. Submit the materials to the professor.

UNIT EIGHT
As a final exam, write a thoughtful paper regarding your experience in this class. Review the functions, benefits, and potential problems of the MMPI-2. Project how you might use the MMPI-2 in your career. Find at least one research article from a scholarly journal regarding the MMPI-2. Summarize and critique the findings of the article.

Grading

Unit	Points
Unit One	200
Unit Two	100
Unit Three	100
Unit Four	200
Unit Five	600
Unit Six	200
Unit Seven	600
Unit Eight	400
Total	2,400

Grading Scale

2160 - 2400	= A
1920 - 2159	= B
1680 - 1919	= C
1440 - 1679	= D
1439 and below	= F

STUDENT SUCCESS:

The student’s success is a jointly-held responsibility. The instructor is responsible for providing clear subject-matter instruction, prompt responses to inquiries, and fair grading. Students are responsible for pursuing the subject matter, applying themselves to the acquisition of knowledge, doing solid scholarly work, and engaging the professor whenever needed.

GENERAL COURSE POLICIES:

This is a 500 level course, which means it is designed for Master’s-level students. As such, students are expected to approach the course from a scholarly perspective with the goal of mastering the information.
Academic honesty is essential. Cite sources for ideas not your own.
The written assignments for this class are to be completed in accordance with the APA style manual. Although the APA manual goes far beyond how to cite a source and build a reference list, doing these things correctly is essential. The APA manual is a good investment. There are also several good online guides to APA style which you can easily find through a search engine. If you have questions about APA style, ask before you submit your paper. Due to the reflective nature of some of the assignments in this class, APA requirements for the text of your papers (but not for the references) are relaxed and first person writing is acceptable.
Only count that actual text of your papers and essays to meet the required page lengths. In other words, a six-page paper has six full pages of your prose. The cover page (not required but you may use one), reference list, tables or charts, and appendices do not count as pages. Margins, fonts, and font sizes are to be in accordance with APA guidelines. The number of references required in your paper is the number necessary to give proper credit for ideas not originally yours.
The minimum length given for the written assignments are just that: minimums. You are encouraged to develop your thoughts fully so as to increase your learning and mastery of the course material.
Please submit papers directly to the course room. You may attach your papers if you use Microsoft Word and you use an up-to-date anti-virus program on your computer.
The Internet is a wonderful source of information. The Internet is also populated with a lot of misinformation. Choose your sites carefully to ensure that information you gather online is valid. For example, Wikipedia is not a reliable, scholarly source of information. Your scholarly efforts are not limited to Internet websites. You may also utilize online libraries and brick-and-mortar libraries.
The professor is available to you by e-mail. Responses to inquiries will be prompt. Try to plan ahead and avoid last-minute crises.