Assessment of personality

1. Measurement of
personality
Course : 1.1.1 ( unit V)
Ayan Mohanta
B.Ed 1st semester
Roll – 42
G.C.M College of education

2. WHY ? • There is no zero for reference
• Personality is not static
• No regular units in available
• Exact scale or measuring instrument are not available
• Evaluation can be influenced by the subjective view of the person
carrying out the measurement

3. Techniques and Methods of Assessment
of Personality
Observation :
It can be done in two ways :
1) Observer does not hide from the subject or subjects even become more or less part of
the group under observation .
2) Observer takes a position where his presence is least disturbing to the subject but from
where he can clearly observe the subject .
The observer can use a tape recorder, camera, a telescope etc.
The observer may repeat the observation in same situation or subject
maybe observed by a number of observer .

4. Situational Tests :
Here situation is artificially created in which an individual is expected to perform acts
related to the personality traits under testing.
Questionnaire :
“ In general the word questionnaire refers to a device for securing answers to questions
by using a form which the respondent fills in himself “
Goode & Hatt (1952)
Examples of questionnaire :
Do you enjoy being alone ? yes No (cannot say)
Do you enjoy seeing others succeed ? Yes No (cannot say)
Do you get along well with your relatives ? Yes No (cannot say)

5. Personality Inventory :
How is it different from questionnaire ?
• Questionnaire is used for collecting all kinds of information not connected
specifically with personality traits
• personality inventory is specifically designed to seek answers about the person
and his personality
• The questions, set in the questionnaire, are generally worded in the second
person but in personality inventory , they maybe worded in first person
Examples of questions in personality inventory :
There is something wrong with my sex organ yes No (cannot say)
I have never been in love with anyone Yes No (cannot say)
I sweat very easily even on cool days Yes No (cannot say)

6. Some famous personality inventory
• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI ) developed by J.C Mckinley and S.R
Hathaway of Minnesota Medical school
• The California Personality inventory
• The Eysenck personality inventory
• Sixteen personality factor inventory ( 16 P.E.) developed by Cattell

7. Drawbacks of Questionnaire and personality
inventory :
• It is difficult to get the responses to all questions .
• The subject may give selective responses rather than genuine ones .
• He maybe ignorant of his own traits or qualities which he may possess .

8. Rating Scale :
Basic factors involved in this technique :
1. The specific trait or traits to be rated.
2. The scale on which the degree of possession or absence of the trait has to be
shown
3. The appropriate person or judge for rating .

9. Drawbacks of rating technique :
• Error of central tendency
• Subjective bias
• Halo effect

10. Interview :
There are mainly two types of interview
1) Unstructured interview
2) Structured interview

11. Limitations of interview technique :
• Well trained competent interviewer is costly in term of labout , time and
money
• It suffers from subjective bias of the interviewer
• No safeguard to prevent the subject from hiding his feelings or from giving
selective responses

12. PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES :
These techniques can reveal a person’s inner or private world and go deeper
in the unconscious of an individual .

13. Rorschach inkblot test :
• Developed by Harman Rorschach (1884-1922)
• There are 10 cards
• 5 of them are multi coloured and 5 are black
and white
• Inkblots are completely unstructed
• Shape of them do not have any meaning
• What observer sees in these inkblots are
recorded .

14. TAT or Thematic Apperception Test :
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• First was introduced by Henry Murray (1943)
• Later fully developed by C.D Morgan
• Consists of 30 pictures
• Ten for male , ten for female and ten for both
genders
• Maximum number of pictures used on any one
subject in 20
• Administered in two session with 10 pictures in each
one.
• The subject has to construct a story based in these
pictures

15. (CAT) Children’s apperception test :
• Developed by Dr. Leopold Bellak
• For children three to ten years of age
• Consists of 10 pictures
• All cards are used for both sexes
• These cards have pictures of animals intead of human
character .
• Designed to evoke fantasies relating to child own
experiences , reaction and feeling
• Colour free test but needs alterations according to
child’s local conditions.

16. Word association test :
• Examiner speaks one word at a time
• Subject has to say the first one comes in his mind
• Subjects is told that there is no right or wrong answers
• Examiner records the responses along with reaction time , unusual speech and
behaviour manifestations

17. Sentence completion test :
• Consists of a list of incomplete sentences
generally open ended
• Subject has to complete the sentence quickly
with the words comes in his mind.
• Considered superior than word association test
Examples :
I am worried over …..
My hope is …….
I feel proud when …..
My hero is ……

18. Other techniques :
There are some other techniques which are mainly developed for children like :
Play technique : observer observes spontaneous behaviour of the children while playing
or constructing thing with given materials
Drawing and painting tests : the natural hand drawn painting of the children constitute
the matter of study .

19. Indian adaptation of these techniques :
• Indian adaptation of senior apperception test by Uma Chowdhury
• Indian adaptation of thematic apperception test developed by Uma Chowdhury
• Indian adaptation of children’s apperception test by Uma Chowdhury
• A pragmatic view of Rorchack inkblot test developed by B.L Dubey

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