55 University of Dayton students who attended the classes on behavior disorders answered the MMPI and Barna-Rychlak Causal Construct Scale under the conditions of psychological research, anonymity and perceived invasion of privacy. After 2 Ss refused to participate, 3 Ss perceived 2, 3, and 5 MMPI items offensive, and removal of these items only changed raw scores one point for two Ss on one and two scales respectively. The 1970 A. P. A. policy statement on psychological assessment and preservation of privacy was implemented in this study. Replication with other populations is suggested.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychological Association.Psychological assessment and public policy. American Psychologist, 1970, 25, 264–266.
2.
BlackH.They shall not pass. New York: Random House, 1963.
3.
ButcherJ.TellegenA.Objections to MMPI items. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1966, 30, 527–534.
4.
CarterL.Psychological tests and public responsibility: Introduction. American Psychologist, 1969, 24, 123–124.
5.
ClarkK. (Ch.) Privacy in behavioral research. Washington, D. C.: Executive Office of the President, 1967. (Panel).
6.
GolannS.Emerging areas of ethical concern. American Psychologist, 1969, 24, 454–459.
7.
GrossM.Brain watchers. New York: Random House, 1962.
8.
HoffmanB.The tyranny of testing. New York: Crowell-Collier, 1962.
9.
LewisE.WarmanR. E.Confidentiality expectations of college students. Journal of College Student Personnel, 1964, 6, 7–11.
10.
MessickS.Personality measurement and the ethics of assessment. American Psychologist, 1965, 20, 136–142.
11.
RankinR.Analysis of items perceived as objectionable in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1968, 27, 627–633.
12.
SimmonsD.Invasion of privacy and judged benefit of personality test inquiry. Journal of General Psychology, 1968, 79, 177–181.
13.
WalkerC.The effect of eliminating offensive items on the reliability and validity of the MMPI. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1967, 23, 363–366.
14.
WalkerG.WardJ.Identification and elimination of offensive items from the MMPI. Journal of Projective Techniques and Personality Assessment, 1969, 33, 385–388.
