Methodological problems and issues in MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A research.

Abstract

Personality questionnaires are among the most versatile and user-friendly approaches to personality assessment. This article focuses on methodological considerations in conducting research on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2 ; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989), the most widely used clinical personality instrument. The article addresses ways of identifying methodological problems in research and alerts researchers to potential pitfalls in conducting personality assessment research. The topics addressed include the following : methodological factors addressing the continuity of the MMPI-2 and the original MMPI ; sample selection in MMPI-2 research ; issues concerning test administration ; the application of exclusionary criteria in developing research samples ; methodological factors in processing, reporting, and analyzing data ; developing and evaluating new MMPI-2 scales ; and assessing test bias in personality research.