Date of Award

December 2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Joseph Miller

Abstract

The MCMI-IV is a personality scale that attempts to measure psychopathology as well as normal personality functioning. The MCMI-IV has a number of validity scales designed to measure over-reporting and under-reporting of psychological symptoms. No research has been done on the MCMI-IV’s ability to discriminate between respondents who are either over-reporting or under-reporting symptoms. Studies on previous versions of the test suggest elevations on the validity scale Y and elevations on personality scales 4, 5, and 7 in clients who are underreporting symptoms. Previous research also suggests elevations on the validity scale X and Z in clients who are over-reporting symptoms and multiple clinical scales above 85 BR. This study analyzed differences in validity scales when participants were instructed to over-report and under-report symptoms when compared to honest respondents. It was hypothesized underreporters would score high on scale Y, while over-reporters would score high on scales X with a low scale Y and Z. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. Additionally, ROC curves were analyzed between the H and FG group to identify specificity and sensitivity at BR 75 and 85 recommended by the test manual. An optimal cutoff score of 73.50 was identified for the best trade-off of specificity and sensitivity.

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