ASSESSMENT OF

PERSONALITY
Assessment is a process of making judgements that are to be used for further
planning. It is a procedure for improving the product, the process and even the
goals themselves. The purpose of assessment is to discover the needs of the
individuals being assessed.

Assessment is a wider term than measurement. Measurement denotes

quantity and assessment quality also. We measure cloth, height and weight but we
assess personality traits and not cloth, height and weight. But there are several
difficulties which are encountered in assessment of personality. The three basic
difficulties due to which assessment of personality becomes difficult are as follows:
1) Complex nature of personality of the individual
2) Nature of assessment instruments
3) Nature of person who assesses personality

1) Complex nature of personality of individuals: Personality of individuals

being assessed is very complex. Assessment of personality does not remain
stable because an individual is ever growing and may not respond to same
situation in the same manner.

2) Nature of assessment instruments: We can measure a piece of cloth in

terms of centimeters and inches but in psychological measurement we do not
have any regular unit of measurement. There is no zero (starting point) for
reference in case of personality. No child is born with zero personality and
above all, tools of assessment of personality are not very exact, reliable and
valid in term of their results.

3)Nature of person who assesses personality :Subjectivity of person assessing

also influences assessment. Even, when same person assesses the same
individual at different intervals under same conditions, results may differ.

Purpose of Personality Assessment: In educational institutions, the primary

purpose of personality assessment is to find out the existing status of
development of various facts of personality and to take further measure for
bringing about improvement in child.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY

Personality test provides measures of such characteristics as feelings,

emotional states, preoccupations, motivations, attitudes and approaches to
interpersonal relations. There is diversity of approaches to personal
assessment, controversy surrounds many aspects of the widely used
methods and techniques. The methods used for the assessment of
personality are broadly classified as subjective, objective and projective

METHODS OF ASSESSING PERSONALITY

SUBJECTIVE METHOD OBJECTIVE METHOD
PROJECTIVE METHOD Interview
Situational Test Rorschach Inkblot Test
Rating Scale Questionnaire(close end) Thematic
Apperception Test (TAT)
Observation Personality Inventory Child
Apperception test (CAT)
Questionnaire (open end) Aptitude Test Word
Completion test
Case History Intelligence Test
Sentence Completion Test
Anecdotal Records Interest Test
Draw a Man Test
Autobiography Achievement Test
Psycho Drama
CumulativeTest Card
Clay Modelling
Sociometry
Doll Play

Socio Drama
Mosaic
Test

SUBJECTIVE METHOD:

It is the measurement that relies on interpretation .It has

complementary strengths and weaknesses. The problem revolves round the
fact that different observers may make different judgements and such
judgements are fallible. Some of the subjective methods are discussed below:

1) INTERVIEWS: Interview is an important technique to elicit information

from the subject in face to face contacts. On the basis of interview results
most of the selection for different jobs and admission to various courses are
made. Interviews are of two types:
a) Unstructured interview
b) Structured interview
In Unstructured Interview, the interviewer is free to ask the candidate
any question on any subject relevant to the situation. The primary condition
of this type of interview is that a perfect rapport is to be established with the
subjects so that they can freely express their feelings.
In Structured Interview, a systematic approach is adopted and all the
subjects are uniformly asked similar questions .Usually a list of questions is
prepared before hand and all subjects are to answer these pre planned
questions.

Merits of Interview Technique:

• It is very flexible tool to measure personality.
• It can probe deeply.
• It is relatively easy to conduct.
• It is the most dynamic way of understanding the individual.

Demerits of Interview Technique:

• It suffers from the subjective bias of the interviewer.
• It is expensive and time consuming.
• It needs a well trained competent interviewer.
• The interviewee might not unfold himself.
• The interviewee may have a language handicap to express his feeling
freely.

2) RATING SCALES: It is the one of the oldest and versatile of the

assessment techniques .By rating is meant the judgement of one person by
another.

According, to Ruth Strang, “Rating is, an essence, directed

observation”
Rating Scales are designed to evaluate a single trait. Teachers may use
Rating Scales to clarify their students on a particular trait like persistence,
leadership or creativity. Peers might rate each other along dimensions such
as friendliness, trustworthiness and social skills. To make Rating Scales
reliable three things are necessary:
a. The traits to be evaluated should be defined clearly.
b. The degree of possession of trait has to be shown on a scale.
c. Judges for ratings should be matured and experienced.

Suppose we wish to rate the students of a class for quality of

leadership. We can rate the degrees of this quality as divisions such as Very
Good, Average, Poor, Very poor etc. The arrangement of these divisions along
a line of equal intervals from high to low is termed as rating scale for
assessment of the quality of leadership. The division of scale are indicated by
numbers, 1 to 3, 1 to 5, 1 to 7 comprising of three point, five point or seven
point scale. The 5 point scale is of following type:
 1 2 3 4 5
----------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------
--
Very Good Good Average Poor Very
Poor

Now the raters who are in a position to properly rate the individuals are
asked to give them scores ranging from 1 to 5 according to the degree of
leadership they possess.

Demerits of Rating Scale:

• Error of Caution: Most raters place other people nearer the middle of
scale than giving them very high or very low rating.
• Subjective Bias: This leads to their own likes and dislikes coloring their
assessment of individuals under ratings.
• Halo Effect: Under this the general impression about a person influence
a judge who rates him on any trait. If general impression of judge is
favorable, person is rated high and low if impression is low.

To avoid these errors, rating work should be assigned to a number of judges

who are experienced and matured and final assessment should be done by
pooling the ratings of all the judges.

3) OBSERVATION: It is another popular method of studying the behavior of

the person. It has been defined as ‘measurement without instrument’. In this
the observer decides what personality traits or characteristics he needs to
know and then observes the relevant activities of subjects in real life
situations.

There are two processes of observation. In open observation, the

observer does not hide himself from the subject and in second method he
observes the behavior of subject from behind a screen. The data obtained
from observation is then carefully analysed, classified and interpreted.

Merits of Observation:
• It can be used in every situation.
• It is adaptable both to individual and groups.
• It can be used with little training and almost all teachers can use it and
it does not require any special tools or equipment.
• This method can be used with children of all ages and especially useful
with shy children.

Demerits of Observation:
• It reveals only the overt behaviour, behaviour that is expressed and
not that is within.
• Bias and prejudice may vitiate the observation and affect the
interpretation of subject behavior.
• It captures what the individual does but can be hard to interpret as
personality.
 However to increase the reliability the observer may repeat observation in
same situation and several times or team of observers may observe the
behaviour of subject.

4) QUESTIONNAIRE (OPEN END OR RESTRICTED FORM):

“Questionnaire refers to a device for securing answers to questions by

using a form which a respondent fills himself”

---GOOD & HATT

In open end questionnaire the respondent is at the liberty to express

his attitudes, interests, preferences and decisions in his own words because
no clues are provided to him.

Demerit of Open end Questionnaire:

• Sometimes it becomes very difficult to tabulate, interpret and
summarize the response of respondents.

5) ANECDOTAL RECORDS: An anecdotal is a running description of actual

examples of behavior of a student as observed by teachers and the
counsellors. It is followed by comments. There is no limit set on the number
of anecdotes to be recorded. It depends upon the time which is at the
disposal of teachers.

Characteristics of Anecdotal Records:

1. The objective description of behavior should not be mixed up with

subjective comment.

2. Words and phrases are used whose meaning is clear.

3. The facts presented in all anecdotes must be shifted and arranged to be

studied in relation to one another.

4. Any significant behavior, be it in classroom, in the school or outside school

must be related.

5. Concrete statements should be used as compared to abstract ones.

6. The observer has determined what aspects of behavior are related to the
dimension being appraised. He observes these only and records then only.

Use of Anecdotal Records:

1. They provide specific and enact description of personally and minimize
generalizations.

2. They are very helpful in understanding child’s behavior in diverse

situation.

3. The new members of staff may use these records and acquaint
themselves with students.

4. These records aid in clinical service.

5. They provide data for pupils to use in self appraisal.

6) CASE HISTORY: The case history includes a brief account of a person’s

family and neighbourhood, his behavior in childhood, his school experiences,
his physical and mental development etc. From the case history of an
individual we can have some idea of his personality.

OBJECTIVE METHOD:
Objective Assessment is the assessment in which measurement
is not dependent on a judgement by individual making the assessment.
Objective tests do not have bias that are common among subjective
measures. An objective assessment is one that utilizes research to
determine results. Some of the Objective Methods are as follows:

1) SITUATIONAL TEST: In Situational Test , the behavior of an

individual is assessed in an artificial situation for eg. To test the
honesty of an individual, Some situations can be created and his
reaction can be evaluated in terms of honesty or dishonesty , like the
honesty of a student may be evaluated in the examination hall without
invigilator.

Demerits of Situational Test:

• It is difficult to use situational test technique because it needs
trained psychologist to observe and interpret behaviour of
subjects.
• The reliability and validity of subjects are also very difficult.

2)QUESTIONNAIRE(CLOSED END OR STRUCTURED FORM): In the

closed end questionnaire type the individual is asked a large number of
crucial questions which he has to answer by saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ For eg.
The following question bring out extroversion or introversion of
personality.
 *Do you like to talk before a group of people?
Yes/No
*Do you make friends easily?
Yes/No
*Are you at home among strangers?
Yes/No
*Do you worry over what people think of you?
Yes/No
*Do you suffer from feeling of inferiority?
Yes/No
*Do you feel easily hurt?
Yes/No

The ‘Yes’ response to first three questions is suppose to be the

characteristic of extrovert while the last three indicate those of
introvert. The score may simply be no. of answers in yes or no .

Merits of Questionnaire:
• It is fairly easy to tabulate and analyse.
• It is very easy to respond to such a question.
• It takes a little time to answer.

Demerits of Questionnaire:
• It lacks validity i.e. test does not measure what they are suppose
to measure.
• Subject can start his answers in either direction he wishes.

3) PERSONALITY INVENTORY: Personality Inventory are also called Self

Report Tests. It is an objective test in which individuals answer a series
of questions about their thoughts, feelings and actions.

Personality Inventories are standardized and can be administered to

a number of people at the same time. A psychologist need not be
present when the test is given, the answers can usually be scored by a
computer. Scores are obtained by comparison with norms for each
category on the test, A Personality Inventory may measure one factor
such as anxiety level or it may measure a number of different
personality traits such as Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire
(16PF).Some of the Personality Inventories are as follows:
a) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI)
b) Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)
c) Neuroticism Extroversion Openness Inventory(NEO PI)
d) California Personality Inventory(CPI)
e) Five Factor Personality Inventory For Children (FFPI-C)
 f) Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)
g) Occupational Personality Inventory (OPI)
h) Inwald Personality Inventory(IPI)
i) Beck Depression Inventory(BDI)
j) Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory(MCMI)
k) Child Behaviour Checklist
l) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
m) Personality Research Form

a) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI): MMPI is one of

most frequently used personality test in mental health. It is used by trained
professionals to assist in identifying personality structure and
psychopathology. It was developed by J. C. Mckinley and Strake Hathaway at
University of Minnesota in 1943. It consists of 550 items. Each item is printed
on a separate card. The subject has to sort the cards into 3 groups – True,
False and Cannot Say. From that item pool, scales were developed that were
relevant to the kinds of problems patient showed in psychiatric settings.

The MMPI scale uses empirical strategy rather than intuitive and
theoretical approach. Items were included on a scale only if they clearly
distinguished between two groups. ForEg. - Schizophrenik patients and
normal comparison group. Each item had to demonstrate its validity by being
answered similarly by members within each group but differently between
two groups. Thus the items were not selected on a theoretical basis(what the
content seemed to mean to experts) but on an empirical basis ( did they
distinguish between 2 groups?) The MMPI has 10 Clinical Scales, each
constructed to differentiate special clinical group from normal comparison
group.

Clinical scales

• Hypochondriasis(Hs) : Concern with bodily symptoms

• Depression (D)
• Hysteria (Hy)
• Psychopathic Deviate (Pd)
• Masculinity/Femininity (MF)
• Paranoia (Pa)
• Psychasthenia (Pt)
• Schizophrenia (Sc)
• Hypomania (Ma)
• Social Introversion (Si)
: Depressive Symptoms
: Awareness of problems and vulnerabilities
: Conflict, struggle, anger, respect for society's rules
: Stereotypical masculine or feminine interests/behaviors
: Level of trust, suspiciousness, sensitivity
: Worry, Anxiety, tension, doubts, obsessiveness
: Odd thinking and social alienation
: Level of excitability
: People orientation

The test also includes Validity Scales that detects blatant dishonesty,
carelessness, defensiveness or evasiveness. These validity scales have some
control keys meant for identifying untrustworthy responses. These keys give
scores as lie Scores (L) when subject tries to fake good on socially approved
behavior, the (K) score when subject fakes bad to show himself in bad light,
(?) score when subject gives a large number of cannot say responses and (F)
score when subject marks items with carelessness or misunderstanding.
When MMPI is interpreted, the tester first checks the validity scales to be
sure the test is valid and then looks at rest of scores. The pattern of scores
which are highest, how they differ – forms the MMPI Profile. Individual
profiles are compared with those common for particular group.

MMPI was revised as MMPI-2 in 1989. 15 new Content Scales were

added to it which were derived using in part, a theoretical method. For each
of 15 clinically relevant topics, (such as family problems or anxiety) items
were selected on two bases: If they seemed theoretically related to topic
area and if they statistically formed a homogeneous scale (that each scale
measures a single, unified concept).

Content Scales

*Anxiety *Health Concerns *Type A (Workaholic)

*Fears *Bizzare Mentation (thoughts) *Low self
esteem
*Obsessiveness *Anger and Cynicism *Social
Discomfort
*Depression *Antisocial Practices *Family Problems
*Work Interference *Negative Treatment Indicators

b) SIXTEEN PERSONALITY FACTOR QUESTIONNAIRE 16PF): The Sixteen

Personality Factors measured by 16PF Questionnaire were devised by
Raymond Cattell.

Raymond Cattell's 16 Personality Factors

Primary
Descriptors of Low Range Descriptors of High Range
Factor

Impersonal, distant, cool, Warmth Warm, outgoing, attentive to

reserved, detached, formal, aloof (A) others, kindly, easy-going,
(Schizothymia) participating, likes people
 (Affectothymia)

Concrete thinking, lower general Abstract-thinking, more

mental capacity, less intelligent, intelligent, bright, higher general
Reasoning
unable to handle abstract mental capacity, fast learner
(B)
problems (Lower Scholastic (Higher Scholastic Mental
Mental Capacity) Capacity)

Reactive emotionally,
Emotional Emotionally stable, adaptive,
changeable, affected by feelings,
Stability mature, faces reality calmly
emotionally less stable, easily
(C) (Higher Ego Strength)
upset (Lower Ego Strength)

Deferential, cooperative, avoids

conflict, submissive, humble, Dominant, forceful, assertive,
Dominance
obedient, easily led, docile, aggressive, competitive, stubborn,
(E)
accommodating bossy (Dominance)
(Submissiveness)

Lively, animated, spontaneous,

Serious, restrained, prudent,
Liveliness enthusiastic, happy go lucky,
taciturn, introspective, silent
(F) cheerful, expressive, impulsive
(Desurgency)
(Surgency)

Expedient, nonconforming,
disregards rules, self indulgent
(Low Super Ego Strength)
Rule-conscious, dutiful,
Rule-
conscientious, conforming,
Consciousness
moralistic, staid, rule bound (High
(G)
Super Ego Strength)

Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, Social Boldness Socially bold, venturesome, thick

hesitant, intimidated (Threctia) (H) skinned, uninhibited (Parmia)

Utilitarian, objective,
Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental,
unsentimental, tough minded, Sensitivity
tender minded, intuitive, refined
self-reliant, no-nonsense, rough (I)
(Premsia)
(Harria)
Trusting, unsuspecting,
accepting, unconditional, easy
(Alaxia)
Grounded, practical, prosaic,
solution oriented, steady,
conventional (Praxernia)
Forthright, genuine, artless,
open, guileless, naive,
unpretentious, involved
(Artlessness)
Self-Assured, unworried,
complacent, secure, free of guilt,
confident, self satisfied
(Untroubled)
Traditional, attached to familiar,
conservative, respecting
traditional ideas (Conservatism)
Group-oriented, affiliative, a
joiner and follower dependent
(Group Adherence)
Tolerates disorder, unexacting,
flexible, undisciplined, lax, self-
conflict, impulsive, careless of
social rules, uncontrolled (Low
Integration)
Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid,
patient, composed low drive (Low
Ergic Tension)
Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical,
Vigilance
distrustful, oppositional
(L)
(Protension)
Abstract, imaginative, absent
Abstractedness
minded, impractical, absorbed in
(M)
ideas (Autia)
Private, discreet, nondisclosing,
Privateness
shrewd, polished, worldly, astute,
(N)
diplomatic (Shrewdness)
Apprehensive, self doubting,
Apprehension worried, guilt prone, insecure,
(O) worrying, self blaming (Guilt
Proneness)
Openness to Open to change, experimental,
Change liberal, analytical, critical, free
(Q1) thinking, flexibility (Radicalism)
Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful,
Self-Reliance
individualistic, self sufficient (Self-
(Q2)
Sufficiency)
Perfectionistic, organized,
compulsive, self-disciplined,
Perfectionism
socially precise, exacting will
(Q3)
power, control, self-sentimental
(High Self-Concept Control)
Tense, high energy, impatient,
Tension
driven, frustrated, over wrought,
(Q4)
time driven. (High Ergic Tension)
 Cattell referred to these 16 factors as primary factors. The 16PF
Questionnaire is a multiple choice personality Questionnaire which was
scientifically developed by Raymond Cattell. He used new techniques of
factor analysis in an attempt to scientifically discover and measure the
fundamental traits of human personality.

In addition to 16 primary traits, researchers have also found 5 higher level second
order traits know as Big Five. The Big Five factors and their constituent traits can be
summarized as follows:

• Openness - appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas,

curiosity, and variety of experience.
• Conscientiousness - a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and
aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
• Extraversion - energy, positive emotions, urgency, and the tendency to
seek stimulation in the company of others.
• Agreeableness - a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather
than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
• Neuroticism - a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as
anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability; sometimes called emotional
instability.

The 16PF were a result of factor analyzing hundreds of measures of

everyday behaviors to find the fundamentals traits behind them. Later 5
global factors were discovered by factor analyzing the 16 primary traits
themselves. Thus, 16PF test give scores on both second order global traits
which provide overview of personality at broader level; and primary traits as
well which describe richness and complexity of each unique personality.

The most recent edition of 16PF questionnaire is fifth edition of

test. It contains 185 multiple choice items. The item content asks simple
questions about daily behavior, interest and opinions.16PF Questions tend to
ask about actual behavioral situations.
For Eg:

When I find myself in a boring situation, I usually ‘tune out’ and

True/False
Daydream about other things.

The test provides scores on 16 primary personality scales and five

global personality scales. It includes 3 validity scales – A Bipolar Impression
Management Scale (IM), An Acquiescence (ACQ) Scale and an Infrequence
Scale (INF) Scale. The reasoning ability (Factor B) items appear at the end of
the test booklet with separate instructions, because they are the only items
that have right and wrong answers. Administration of the test takes 35-50
minutes for paper pencil version and about 30 minutes by computer. The
test instructions are simple and straightforward, and the test is un-timed,
and thus it is generally self-administrable and can be used in either an
individual or a group setting.

Merits of Self Report Tests:

• Straightforward to standardize
• These tests are Easy to administer
• These test are reliable
• They capture views of self very well

Demerits of Self Report Tests:

• These tests are easy to fake
• They depend on the self knowledge

4) INTELLIGENCE TEST:

Intelligence tests are used to measure intelligence. Intelligence is inferred

from a variety of elements i.e. behaviour and speed of doing things correctly etc.
for which intelligence test have been devised. An intelligence test is an objective
and standardized measure.

Intelligence is measured through a complicated process. It involves a

comparison and establishment of a relationship between C.A (chronological age)
and M.A (mental age). This relationship is expressed by term I.Q (intelligent
quotient).When mental age is divided by chronological age and quotient is
multiplied by 100, the result is I.Q.

I.Q =M.A * 100

C.A

Concept of M.A was developed by Binet and Stern introduced the term I.Q
and Terman multiplied it by hundred to avoid decimal fractions.

Intelligence test may be broadly classified as follows:

1. Individual Test
2. Group test

1. Individual Test are administered to one individual at a time. They are of two
types:
• Verbal Test : These include Binet Simon Test, Mental Scholastic Test,
Wechsler Test

• Performance Test: It involves construction of certain patterns or some

problems in terms of concrete material. Some famous test are Koh’s block
Design Test, Cube Construction Test, The Pass Along Test
2. Group Test are administered to a group of people. These are The Army Alpha and
Beta Test, Terman Group Test, Otis Self Administration Test.

5) APTITUDE TEST:

A standardized test designed to measure the ability of a person to develop

skills or acquire knowledge. Aptitude Test measure certain specific abilities.
Aptitude Test predict the future potentialities of a person. These test help in
selecting individual who shows talent in early stage and readily respond to training.
For example if we say that a child has musical ability we mean 2 things i.e. the child
has specific ability for music and if this specific ability is trained, his skill for music
will increase further.

Aptitude tests are mainly used for these purposes:

• Selection of subjects.

• Selection of candidates for admission to various training courses.

• Selection of candidates for jobs.

Specialised Aptitude Test are as follows:

1. Art Aptitude Test

2. Clerical Aptitude Test

3. Manual Aptitude Test

4. Mechanical Aptitude Test

5. Scholastic Aptitude Test

6. Scientific Aptitude Test

7. Medical Aptitude Test

8. Teacher’s Aptitude Test

General Aptitude Test:

At present, instead of employing specialized aptitude test, multiple aptitude test

batteries are used for selection of persons for different profession.

1. The General Aptitude Test Battery: It comprises written tests for vocabulary,
arithmetic, reasoning, comparison etc.
 2. The Differential Aptitude Test Battery: It comprises test for verbal reasoning,
abstract reasoning, numerical ability, mechanical reasoning, clerical speed
and accuracy.

PROJECTIVE METHOD: Projective Test attempts to reveal a person’s

unconscious repressed wishes.
“projective techniques as a kind of X-ray into those covert aspects of personality
which subjects either cannot or will not openly reveal”

Frank (1939)

Projective Tests are used to assess the total personality of an individual

rather than in fragments. In these type of tests and techniques, relatively indefinite
and unstructured stimuli (like inkblots, incomplete sentences) are presented to the
subject and he is asked to structure them in any way he likes. In doing so he
unconsciously projects his own desires, hopes, repressed wishes etc and thus
reveals his inner world on the basis of which his total personality may be assessed.
Some of the projective tests are as follows:

1) RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST: Rorschach Inkblot Test was developed by swiss

psychiatrist, Herman Rorschach in 1921.In this test, subject is shown a series of ten
standardized bilaterally symmetrical inkblots one at a time. Five of the blots are
black and white and five are multicoloured. These inkblots are highly ambiguous
and do not carry any specific meaning. The subject is allowed to look at inkblots
from different angles. Different persons see different things in these inkblots. Some
concentrate on whole inkblot, other concentrate on its parts. The subject is
permitted to give as many responses as he wishes and examiner notes the time
taken for each response.

Interpretation: For the purpose of scoring, the responses are given specific
symbols and are entered into 4 columns:
a. The Location: Whether respondent refers to whole card or to part of it.
b. The Content of Response: The nature of object and activities seen (human
form, animal form, natural objects etc)
c. The Determinants: Which aspect of the card (such as its colour or shading
prompted response)
d. The Originality: Whether the responses are original and unique or popular
and unconfirming

The relevant frequencies of different symbols within the scoring categories

and among the several categories help the interpreter to decide the personality
characteristics of subjects.

2) THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT): Thematic Apperception Test was

devised by Murray and Morgan in 1935.The test material comprises thirty pictures
of human figures in some situations with definite outlines, but ambiguous enough to
admit a variety of interpretations. Ten of pictures are meant for males, ten for
females and ten are common to both sexes. The maximum number of pictures used
on any one subject is thus, twenty. The test is usually administered in two sessions,
using ten pictures in each session. The pictures are presented one at a time. The
subject is told to make up a story for each of the pictures presented to him and
describe:
a. What is going on in the picture.
b. What has led to this scene.
c. What would likely happen in such a situation.

In making up the stories, the subject unconsciously projects several

characteristics of his personality. He expresses his own natural life’s desires, likes
and dislikes, emotions, ambitions etc. It explores the underlying hidden drives,
complexes and conflicts of the subject’s personality.

Interpretation: After finishing the test, the contents of the stories are studied
and analysed under the points:
• Hero of the story
• Theme of the story
• The style of the story
• The content of the story etc.

3) CHILD APPERCEPTION TEST (CAT): Dr. Leopold Bellak developed this test for
children between 3 and 10 years of age. This test consists of ten cards depicting
animals in different life situation. Children are interested in animals and they can
easily identify themselves with animal figures in the card. All ten cards are used for
children of both the sexes. Children project their feelings and experience on the
animals of the card. The cards are shown one by one and the subject is asked to
make up stories out of them. The child’s personality is reflected in whatever story
emerges.

Interpretation:

a. The tester, while interpreting the stories reproduced by subject should

note emotions of child depicted in relation to parental figures such as
hatred, respect , aggression, fear etc.
b. He should note with whom in the family has child identified himself.
c. Which figures has child ignored.
d. What kind of punishment has been prescribed to whom.
e. Overall content of stories.
f. Reaction of subject at time of making up story etc.

4) WORD ASSOCIATION TEST:

This test consists of a list of several unrelated words. The subject is asked a
series of words from the list one by one and is instructed to say immediately the
first word that comes to his mind.
 The response to each word spoken by subject, the reaction time and any
unusual speech or behaviour manifestation are noted. The reaction time and the
nature of response give clues for evaluating the individual’s personality.

5) SENTENCE COMPLETION TEST: This test comprises a list of incomplete

sentences and the subject is directed to complete the sentences and the subject is
directed to complete the sentences as quickly as possible without second thought.
For instance, following incomplete sentences may be given:

• I am worried over______
• My aim is ______
• I am easily disturbed by______

The sentence completion tests are thought to be better than word association
test because subject is free to react in more than one word. As a result, wider area
of personality may be revealed.

ADVANTAGES OF PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES:

• These tests are helpful in assessing the personality of people belonging to
different age groups including older ones and small children
• These tests encourage spontaneous responses.
• The subject does not try to give fake responses as he may try in
questionnaire and inventory etc.
• The test enables to have a total view of personality of an individual rather
than in a piece meal.
• These tests have high reliability and validity.

DISADVANTAGES OF PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUE:

• They are very subjective as the scoring and interpretation depends on skills
and experience of test conductor.
• They require lot of training in their administration. Only trained psychologist
can administer them.
• They are time consuming.
• They are difficult to interpret.

It is observed that it is difficult to draw a straight line between subjectivity and

objectivity. Projective techniques are also liable for subjectivity. There is nothing
like absolute objectivity in these methods.

TEST:
A test is a measurement device or technique used to quantify behavior or aid
in the understanding and prediction of behavior.
A psychological test is a set of items that are designed to measure
characteristics of human beings that pertain to behavior. Tests consist of series of
tasks which the subject is required to perform. They are designed to measure
general mental ability or intelligence, aptitudes, personality traits etc.
TEST BATTERY:

A test battery is a collection of tests rather than a single test. The tests in
battery are usually of different attributes .these attributes may be within a single
area, such as cognitive battery including subtests of reasoning, memory and
comprehension or the attributes may be from conceptually different areas, such as
battery that includes a measure of cognitive ability, a personality test, a test of
vocational interest etc .The term battery usually implies that all tests will be taken
either in a single testing period or over a short period of time.