Efficiency of a Strategy for Detecting Back Random Responding on the Personality Assessment Inventory.

The efficiency of a new strategy to identify back random responding (BRR) on the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991) was studied using random manipulations of item responses from community (904 adult nonpatients) and clinical (1,079 adult patients) respondents. The strategy involved a comparison of short-form and full-instrument T scores on 2 scales found to be particularly sensitive to BRR in a recent study. This strategy was found to be reasonably sensitive and specific to even relatively low levels of BRR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting over- and underreporting of psychopathology with the Spanish-language Personality Assessment Inventory: Findings from a simulation study with bilingual speakers.

Existing research on the Spanish-language translation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) suggests that the validity scales from the English- and Spanish-language versions may not be equivalent measures. In the current study, 72 bilingual participants completed both the English- and Spanish-language versions of the PAI under the instructions to respond honestly, to overreport psychopathology for an insanity case, or to underreport psychopathology for an employment evaluation. Overall, the English- and Spanish-language validity scales performed similarly, and scores from the Negative Impression Management and the Positive Impression Management scales demonstrated the highest levels of equivalence and accuracy for the identification of simulators across language versions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting random, partially random, and nonrandom Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--Adolescent Protocols.

The ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A; J. N. Butcher et al., 1992) validity scales to detect random, partially random, and nonrandom MMPI-A protocols was investigated. Investigations included the Variable Response Inconsistency scale (VRIN), F, several potentially useful new F and VRIN subscales, and formulas F? - F? and F + F? + |F - F?|. Protocols completed by 150 adolescents at a juvenile court setting, screened for randomness with a matched-pair Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) or Jesness Inventory, were compared with 100 computer-generated, all-random protocols, and with 5 levels of partially random protocols. VRIN was the most effective scale in detecting all-random protocols; however, the optimum cutoff of ≥ 75 failed to identify 1/3 of them. Using the new scales, a decision algorithm was described that correctly classified 94%-95% of protocols as interpretable, partially interpretable, or uninterpretable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting random, partially random, and nonrandom Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 protocols.

The ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher et al., 2001) validity scales to detect random, partially random, and nonrandom MMPI-2 protocols was investigated. Investigations included the Variable Response Inconsistency scale (VRIN), F, several potentially useful new F and VRIN subscales, and Fb - F ≥ 30 and Fb ≥ 90. Protocols completed by 150 adults participating in custody evaluations at a juvenile court setting, screened for randomness with a matched-pair Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (T. Millon, R. Davis, & C. Millon, 1997), were compared with 500 computer-generated all-random protocols and with three levels of partially random protocols. VRIN was the most effective scale in detecting uninterpretable random protocols; however, VRIN ≥ 80 failed to identify 37% of them. Fb - F ≥ 30 and Fb ≥ 90 misidentified 41% of the 50%-65% random protocols as partially interpretable. Using the new scales, a decision algorithm was described that correctly classified 97%-100% of the protocols as interpretable, partially interpretable, or uninterpretable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identification of mental disorders in an in-patient prison psychiatric unit: Examining the criterion-related validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory.

Identifying inmates with mental disorders is a crucial function of correctional mental health services. This study examined the utility of several theoretically relevant scales and subscales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007) to identify various broad diagnostic categories (i.e., mood, psychotic, and substance use disorders) in a sample of prisoners in an inpatient psychiatric facility (N = 57). Results indicated moderate effect sizes and classification accuracy for most but not all PAI scales and subscales. Experimental scales for the detection of substance use disorders performed worse than the PAI Drug Problems scale in isolation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality Assessment Inventory substance-use scales: Convergent and discriminant relations with the Addiction Severity Index in a residential chemical dependence treatment setting.

This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Alcohol Problems (ALC) and Drug Problems (DRG) scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991). Participants were 103 male veterans (mean age?=?41.7 years) in a Veterans Affairs residential treatment for chemical dependence. The PAI was compared to the Addiction Severity Index (ASI; McLellan et al., 1992), a semistructured interview. The sampling strategy that was used resulted in a diverse sample (66% African American, 33% Caucasian; 59% with primary alcohol diagnosis, 38% with primary drug diagnosis, 56% with comorbid alcohol and drug diagnoses) and adequately variable ALC and DRG scores. Results supported the convergent validity of both the ALC and DRG scales in relation to both the ASI and substance-use diagnosis. The ALC scale also demonstrated excellent discriminant validity, whereas the discriminant validity of the DRG scale was less impressive. Despite this, the DRG scale performed better in the current diverse sample than observed in an earlier study (Alterman et al., 1995). Recommendations for the use of the PAI in chemical dependence treatment settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for malingering in a criminal-forensic sample with the Personality Assessment Inventory.

In this study, the authors examined how overreporting of psychopathology indices on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) performed as screening measures for malingering in a sample of 166 defendants undergoing pretrial court-ordered evaluations in the federal criminal justice system. Using results from the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; R. Rogers, R. M. Bagby, & S. E. Dickens, 1992) as the criterion measure of malingering, the authors found that the Negative Impression scale (NIM) was the most effective PAI screening measure (cut score ≥ 81T). NIM performed as well as an established comparison measure from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989; Infrequency [F] cut score ≥ 95T), supporting the use of either of these indices as reasonable screening measures to identify potential malingerers for subsequent evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Cuphea beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase shifts the synthesis of fatty acids towards shorter chains in Arabidopsis seeds expressing Cuphea FatB thioesterases

In order to assess the effectiveness of the validity scales from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991), 111 Introductory Psychology students completed the Positive Impression Management scale (PIM) and the Defensiveness Index (DEF) from the PAI along with the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR; Paulhus, 1984) under two instructional sets: 'forthright" and "fake good." Both PAI measures of socially desirable responding were superior to the BIDR scales at identifying protocols written under the fake good instructions. Contrary to Morey (1991), the results from this study support the use of a raw score of 18 as the cut-off on the PIM scale rather than 23. Using 18 as the criterion, 85.1% of cases were correctly classified. A cut-off score for the DEF (5) was derived and tested. Using this criterion resulted in the correct classification of 83.3% cases. A discriminant function that incorporated both the PAI indices produced no substantial improvement in classification accuracy.     

The ability of individuals with psychoactive substance use disorders to escape detection by the Personality Assessment Inventory.

The ability of individuals with psychoactive substance use disorders to dissimulate successfully on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) was evaluated. Patients receiving treatment for drug abuse who were instructed to respond honestly (n?=?59) had significantly higher scores on the PAI scales measuring problems with alcohol and other drug use than (a) patients instructed to respond defensively (n?=?59), (b) respondents suspected of abusing psychoactive substances who were referred for an evaluation by the criminal justice system and who had reasons to conceal their drug use (n?=?59), and (c) respondents from a nonclinical control group (n?=?9). However, a PAI validity scale designed to measure positive dissimulation was prone to making false positive and false negative errors, depending on the cutoff employed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the validity of validity scales: The importance of defensive responding in the prediction of institutional misconduct.

This study examined the effects of defensive responding on the prediction of institutional misconduct among male inmates (N = 349) who completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses demonstrated significant main effects for the Antisocial Features (ANT) scale as well as main effects for the Positive Impression Management (PIM) scale in some instances. Significant ANT × PIM interactions also were evident, particularly when examining recommended cut scores on these scales. These results demonstrate the predictive validity of ANT with prisoners and reinforce the importance of context when considering whether validity scales are in fact valid. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality Assessment Inventory profiles of deployed combat troops: An empirical investigation of normative performance.

The present study examined the normative scores and psychometric properties of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) within a non-treatment-seeking sample of soldiers deployed to combat zones in Iraq, compared with a sample of community adults matched with respect to age and gender. Results indicate the scores and properties of the PAI scales were generally quite similar in the Iraq and community samples, with modest differences emerging on only 3 subscales addressing antisocial behavior, issues with close relationships, and interpersonal vigilance. These results suggest that standard normative interpretation of PAI scales is appropriate even when the instrument is administered in a combat zone. In comparison with prior research, the results may suggest that documented mental health issues among combat veterans, when present, may be particularly likely to emerge postdeployment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of back random responding: Effectiveness of MMPI-2 and Personality Assessment Inventory validity indices.

Two experiments examined the detection and effects of back random responding (BRR) on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). Experiment 1 revealed that MMPI-2 Clinical and Content scales were relatively resistant to the effects of BRR. Fb--F ≥ 20T was the most effective index for identifying invalid protocols. Experiment 2 revealed greater susceptibility of the PAI interpretive scales to the effects of BRR and less successful detection of BRR. The most effective PAI validity index was the combined indicator, ICN ≥ at 73T or INF ≥ 75T. Clinical and empirical implications of these findings are discussed, and tentative modifications to the MMPI-2 interpretative guidelines are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the MMPI-2 restructured clinical (RC) and clinical scales in a substance abuse treatment sample.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) restructured clinical (RC) scales were designed to assess the underlying distinctive core components of the MMPI-2 clinical scales in order to enhance discriminant and convergent validity. Analyses utilizing inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment samples (Tellegen et al., 2003) have demonstrated improvements in the psychometric functioning of the RC scales in comparison with the original clinical scales. The current study extends these analyses by comparing the RC and original clinical scales in a sample of 1,284 men assessed at intake to a substance abuse treatment program in a VA setting. Results indicate that the RC scales demonstrate a general improvement in psychometric properties, with some increases in convergent and discriminant validity compared to their clinical scale counterparts. These results replicate Tellegen et al.'s (2003) findings in a different type of treatment setting and with different criteria, and complement their report by examining the validity of scales RC3 and RC9, for which Tellegen et al. (2003) did not have appropriate criteria. Implications for deliverers of psychological services in public sector settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting recidivism with the Personality Assessment Inventory in a sample of sex offenders screened for civil commitment as sexually violent predators.

We examined the ability of scores from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) to predict postrelease (M = 4.90 years follow-up) arrests in a sample of 1,412 sex offenders. We focused on scores from 4 PAI measures conceptually relevant to offending, including the Antisocial Features (ANT), Aggression (AGG), and Dominance (DOM) scales, as well as the Violence Potential Index (VPI). Scores from several PAI measures demonstrated small- to medium-sized effects in predicting violent nonsexual recidivism, nonviolent recidivism, and sex offender registry violations, with the AGG scale being the strongest (d = 0.50 for violent nonsexual recidivism, d = 0.55 for sex offender registry violations) and most consistent predictor of recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative effectiveness of the standard validity scales in detecting fake-bad and fake-good responding: Replication and extension.

The effectiveness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher et al, 1989) Lie (L) and Infrequency (F) scales, relative to the Obvious-Subtle Index (O-S), the Positive Malingering (Mp) scale, and the revised Dissimulation scale in the detection of fake-good and fake-bad MMPI-2 protocols, was evaluated by asking college students to respond honestly, fake bad, or fake good on the MMPI-2. MMPI-2 protocols of participants asked to fake bad were compared with protocols from general psychiatric and forensic inpatient samples, and MMPI-2 protocols of participants asked to fake good were compared with MMPI-2 protocols of students asked to respond honestly. The F scale was superior in detecting faking bad, and the O-S index and the Mp and L scales were equally effective at detecting faking good. However, we caution against the use of the O-S index in the detection of fake-bad and fake-good responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The ability of the MMPI-2 to detect feigned PTSD within the context of compensation seeking.

The ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) validity scales to detect feigned reports of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was examined in a group of veterans undergoing a compensation and pension evaluation. Veterans who were seeking compensation for service connected PTSD were randomly assigned to one of two groups: exaggerate PTSD and respond honestly. The MMPI-2 Infrequency (F) family of scales was able to accurately identify the veterans instructed to exaggerate PTSD. The Fake Bad Scale (FBS) did not add incrementally to the prediction of exaggerated PTSD and the Infrequency-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (Fptsd) added significantly, albeit minimally, to the prediction of exaggerated PTSD. The Infrequency Psychopathology (FP) scale obtained the best overall hit rate in comparison to the other over-reporting indicators on the MMPI-2, both at optimal and at previously recommended cut scores. In sum, the MMPI-2 effectively differentiated compensation seeking veterans instructed to exaggerate PTSD from compensation seeking veterans instructed to respond honestly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ataxometric analysis of MMPI—2 Infrequency Scales [F and F(p)] in clinical settings.

The typology of overreporting, which is a deliberate attempt to amplify symptoms, simulate psychopathology, or understate coping capacities, was examined using taxometric procedures with Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) Infrequency scales [F and F(p)] in psychiatric inpatient and Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center treatment settings. Overreporting was identified as a taxon using several taxometric procedures, and the multiple estimates of the taxon base rate were consistent within each sample. Mean base-rate estimates were .27 and .19 for the psychiatric inpatient and VA medical center settings, respectively. Overall classification rates ranged from .80 to .97 across the 2 settings, which supports the use of F and F(p) in the identification of overreporting on the MMPI-2 in psychiatric inpatient and VA medical center settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric adequacy and comparability of the short and full forms of the Personality Assessment Inventory.

The 160-item short form of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was developed for situations in which respondents complete only the 1st half of the test. The present study evaluates the adequacy and comparability of the full and short forms of the PAI in terms of a wide range of psychometric characteristics. In all, 421 participants completed the full form as part of a neuropsychological evaluation. Results indicated slightly lower internal consistency reliability of the short compared with the full form. Group-level agreement of short and full form scales ranged from adequate to excellent. However, within-subject agreement was somewhat more variable. Low levels of within-subject agreement were strongly associated with elevated validity scale scores. The factor structures of the full and short forms showed high congruence for a 3-factor solution. These findings suggest that many scales of the short form have adequate comparability with their respective full form scales. However, low levels of reliability across less impaired ranges of the latent trait, diminished content coverage, and altered validity detection may limit the utility of some of the short form scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paranoid personality has a dimensional latent structure: Taxometric analyses of community and clinical samples.

Although paranoid personality is one of the most commonly diagnosed personality disorders and is associated with numerous negative life consequences, relatively little is known about the structural properties of this condition. This study examines whether paranoid personality traits represent a latent dimension or a discrete class (i.e., taxon). In Study 1, the authors conducted taxometric analyses of paranoid personality disorder criteria in a sample of 731 patients participating in the Collaborative Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders project (Gunderson et al., 2000) who had been administered a semistructured diagnostic interview for personality disorders according to criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In Study 2, the authors conducted parallel analyses of the Paranoia scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 2007), using data from the PAI community and clinical normative databases. Analyses across both self-report and interview-based indicators offered compelling support for a dimensional structure. Additionally, analyses of external correlates in these data sets suggested that dimensional models demonstrated stronger validity coefficients with criterion measures than did dichotomous models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computed tomography and pulmonary measurements

This study examines characteristics of Arbisi and Ben-Porath's (1995) MMPI-2 Infrequency-Psychopathology scale, F(p), in a sample of individuals admitted for inpatient treatment of chemical dependency. The F(p) scale, designed to detect deviant response biases in settings characterized by high base rates of psychopathology, was found by Arbisi and Ben-Porath (1995) to have good construct and incremental validity with psychiatric inpatients. Comparisons of the F(p), Infrequency (F), and Infrequency-Back (Fb) scales' means and relationships to indices of psychopathology in the current study provide evidence supporting the F(p) scale's validity in populations of chemically dependent inpatients with and without concurrent psychiatric diagnoses.