Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Mmpi-Ii) the MMPI-II

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-II)

The MMPI-II Test is utilized in the assessment of the individual's personality characteristics that affect the individual's personal and social adjustment.

Test Publisher

The MMPI-II is authored by S.R. Hathaway and J.C. McKinely MMPI; J.N. Butcher, J.R. Graham, W.G., Dahlstrom, A.M. Tellegren, and B. Kaemmer and is published by the Psychological Corporation. (Fischer, 2001)

Cost of the Test

According to Lisa Rochford, Ph.D. The cost of having the MMPI-II administered is $150.00 which includes one to two hours hosting the client at the office with scoring and interpretation costs included. (2012)

Test Users Qualifications and Time To Administer the Test

Cherry (2012) states of the MMPI-II test that The MMPI-2 contains 567 test items and takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The MMPI should be administered, scored, and interpreted by a professional, preferably a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, who has received specific training in MMPI use."

IV. Review of Standardization Sample

It is reported that the size and composition of the standardized sample on MMPI-2 "selected 2900 subjects from seven geographic areas of the U.S." (Fischer, 2001)

V. Review of Reliability and Validity

Reliability information is reported as follows:

"Test-Retest: Using a normal population of 47 individuals over a one year interval, reliabilities ranged from .57 for the hysteria scale to .83 for the hypomania scale. Over a one week interval on one hundred people from a normal population reliabilities ranged from .46 for the lie scale to .91 from masculinity-femininity. Over a three day interval on thirty individuals form the normal population reliabilities ranged from .52 for psychopathic deviate scale to .93 for the K. scale." (Fischer, 2001)

Split-Half, Alternate-Form, Interitem Consistency, and Standard Error of Measurement are all stated as being 'none'. (Fischer, 2001) Validity information reports state Face Validity as 'none' while Content Validity is stated as "using criterion-group approach content does distinguish groups" and Criterion-Related Validity is stated as "bases for test construction." (Fischer, 2001) Construct Validity is stated as follows "extensive studies done for alcoholism, eating disorders, low-back pain patients, delinquent behavior, women at risk for child abuse." (Fischer, 2001)

The validity scales include the following:

(1) The "Cannot Say" Scale ("? scale") - The "?" scale is simply the number of omitted items (including items answered both true and false). (Karp, 2012)

(2) L. Scale - The L. scale originally was constructed to detect a deliberate and rather unsophisticated attempt on the part of the respondent to present him/herself in a favorable light. People who present high L. scale scores are not willing to admit even minor shortcomings, and are deliberately trying to present themselves in a very favorable way. Better educated, brighter, more sophisticated people from higher social classes tend to score lower on the L. scale. (Karp, 2012)

(3) F. Scale - The F. Scale originally was developed to detect deviant or atypical ways of responding to test items. Several of the F. Scale items were deleted from the MMPI-2 because of objectionable content, leaving the F. Scale with 60 of the original 64 items in the revised instrument. The F. Scale serves three important functions: (a) It is an index of test-taking attitude and is useful in detecting deviant response sets; (b) If one can rule out profile invalidity, the F. Scale is a good indicator of degree of psychopathology, with higher scores suggesting greater psychopathology; and (c) Scores on the F. Scale can be used to generate inferences about other extratest characteristics and behaviors. (Karp, 2012)

(4) K. Scale - Compared to the L. Scale, the K. Scale was developed as a more subtle and more effective index of attempts by examiners to deny psychopathology and to present themselves in a favorable light or, conversely, to exaggerate psychopathology and to try to appear in a very unfavorable light. (Karp, 2012)

(5) Back F (Fb) Scale - The Fb scale consists of 40 items on the MMPI-2 that no more than 10% of the MMPI-2 normative sample answered in the deviant direction. An elevated Fb scale score could indicate that the respondent stopped paying attention to the test items that occurred later in the booklet and shifted to an essentially random pattern of responding. (Karp, 2012)

(6) VRIN Scale (Variable Response Inconsistency) - The VRIN scale was developed for the MMPI-2 as an additional validity indicator. It provides an indication of the respondents' tendencies to respond inconsistently to MMPI-2 items, and whose resulting protocols therefore should not be interpreted. (Karp, 2012)