MMPI Ethical and Cultural Considerations 5

Question 1

A psychologist interprets an MMPI-2 profile for a client with a fourth-grade reading level without verifying reading comprehension before administration. This most clearly violates:

Accepted Answer

The requirement to ensure the test is appropriate for the individual being assessed

Answer

The MMPI-2 requires approximately a sixth-grade reading level; administering it without verifying that the client can comprehend items undermines the validity of all responses.

Question 2

In what circumstance is it ethically permissible for a psychologist to release MMPI results without client authorization?

Accepted Answer

When disclosure is required by law, such as a valid court order or mandatory reporting

Answer

Confidentiality can be breached without client authorization only in specific legally mandated circumstances, such as a court order or mandatory reporting of imminent harm.

Question 3

The ethical use of computer-generated MMPI-2 narrative reports requires that the psychologist:

Accepted Answer

Review and critically evaluate the report in light of all available client information before signing

Answer

Automated narrative reports are probabilistic statements that must be verified against the specific client's history, culture, and clinical presentation before a psychologist endorses them.

Question 4

Cultural loading in MMPI items is most problematic because it can lead to:

Accepted Answer

Construct-irrelevant variance that inflates or deflates scores based on cultural experience rather than psychopathology

Answer

Culturally loaded items introduce construct-irrelevant variance, meaning test scores partly reflect cultural background rather than the psychological constructs the scales are intended to measure.

Question 5

An examinee undergoing a personal injury legal evaluation explicitly tells the psychologist they will refuse to answer certain MMPI items. The most ethical response is to:

Accepted Answer

Document the refusal, assess its impact on profile validity, and note limitations in the report

Answer

Item omissions affect validity indices, and the psychologist's ethical obligation is to document incomplete responding, apply the Cannot Say scale interpretation, and clearly communicate interpretive limitations.

MMPI - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Practice Test

MMPI - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Practice Test

MMPI Ethical and Cultural Considerations 5