In the discussion surrounding psychological testing there is always a need to establish a distinction between personality tests and ability tests. Personality tests are centered on the process of measuring personal strengths, personality traits, symptoms of distress, attitudinal characteristics, and dynamic motivation. On the other hand, ability tests entail a plethora of parameters that are fundamental to measuring aptitude, achievement, and intelligence. The focus of this paper shall be on projective and objective personality testing with a close eye on the reliability and validity of these tests.
Objective and Projective Personality Testing
According to Gregory (2014), objective testing involves the measure of person's behavior in a manner that is independent of the person's beliefs or free of rater bias. Objective tests are designed to follow a particular format that is intended by the examiner. The choice of this specific design is governed by the need ensure the personality tests are subjective and free of any bias on the side of the person responsible for administering the personality tests which makes sure the results obtained are not a reflection of the judgment of the examiner(Gregory, 2014). Projective tests follow a different format where the test is designed to facilitate ambiguous stimuli, and this will allow the individual to reveal any internal conflicts or hidden emotions critical in the psychological assessment. Gregory (2014), suggests that one of the standard types of projective test that is offered to patients is the Rorschach inkblot test which presents the individual with an irregular ink spot of ink, and there are expected to respond based on what they can visualize.
Design Contrasts
One of the identifiable contrast between the projective and objective test is the design. The Objective tests are of a specific design where they follow a particular universal format such as a multiple-choice question. Projective tests are of a different design, and they are open to allow the individual being examined to give a response that is based on their own opinion and judgment(Lewis " Loewenthal, 2015). Therefore, projective tests work by focusing on an individual's judgment where it can achieve this through unstructured questions which are designed as open-ended. Through this set-up, the projective test is in a position to analyze and measure attitude, anxieties, and fears associated with the individual.
Subjectivity and Bias
Objective tests follow a structured design which suggests that the test does not require the interpretation on the side of the person administering the test, especially when scoring the measure. Based on this understanding, the answers to the provided questions become subjected to the participant's style and biases (Urbina, 2014). The same result is seen in projective tests which creates the comprehension that the two types of tests, projective and objective, are both susceptible to manipulation by subjective factors which may cause an alteration in the scores. Urbina (2014), is of the opinion that in the analysis of the results of objective and projective tests, the examinee's presenting concerns and personal history are considered which suggest that the two personality tests have an element of bias.
Validity and Reliability
The validity of a test is based on its ability to deliver stable results consistently while the reliability of a test is to maintain the consistency where the tests offer similar results in situations where the conditions are kept the same. The independence from rater bias in conducting objective test raises its validity, but there are concerns regarding reliability due to the dependence on the examinee to maintain honesty and willingness to represent their real personality (Kaplan " Saccuzzo, 2017). Projective tests have encountered the challenge overdependence on the respondent's judgment and the pest lacking scientific backing which has made most of its result have poor validity and reliability.
References
Gregory, R. J. (2014). Psychological Testing: History, Principles and Applications (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Kaplan, R. M., " Saccuzzo, D. P. (2017). Psychological testing: Principles, applications, and issues. Nelson Education.
Lewis, C. A., " Loewenthal, K. (2015). An introduction to psychological tests and scales. Psychology Press.
Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. John Wiley " Sons.
