Current Assessment Practice, Personality Measurement, and Rorschach Usage by Psychologists

Abstract

In this study, we investigated current personality assessment practice and attitudes toward Rorschach (Exner, 2003) usage by 215 psychologists. We administered an Internet survey to members of the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA) and the American Psychological Association. Results were similar to those of past surveys, but the importance of using tests with strong psychometric properties was greater in this study. The majority of respondents reported using the Rorschach and supporting efforts to standardize and psychometrically validate the test. However, SPA members agreed more strongly than non-SPA members that the Rorschach is an effective test. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Notes

¹Evidence-based practice is defined as the “integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences” (American Psychological Association, 2006, p. 273).

^a Respondents were permitted to report working in more than one employment setting.

²Due to the number of statistical tests administered in this study, a stringent .01 alpha level was adopted for all analyses.

^a As explained in the text, terms for types of tests were updated to be consistent with current journal recommendations.

^b Ratings were on a scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

^c Ratings were on a scale ranging from 1 (only self-report personality tests) to 7 (only performance-based personality tests).

^d Ratings were on a scale ranging from 1 (art form that cannot be standardized) to 7 (scientific process that can be standardized).

∗p < .01.