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Toward a process-based framework for classifying personality tests: comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006).

Robert F Bornstein¹

¹Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA. bornstein@adelphi.edu

Journal of Personality Assessment

|September 4, 2007

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes a new framework for classifying personality tests. It renames "objective" tests as self-attribution tests and "projective" tests as stimulus-attribution tests based on response processes.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychometrics

Background:

The traditional "objective" and "projective" labels for psychological tests are outdated.
A new classification framework is needed to reflect the underlying psychological processes involved in test responses.

Discussion:

This comment proposes a process-based framework for classifying personality tests.
Instruments are categorized by the attribution process during stimulus response.
"Objective" tests are renamed self-attribution tests.
"Projective" tests are renamed stimulus-attribution tests.

Key Insights:

A process-based framework offers a more nuanced understanding of personality assessment.
Renaming tests based on attribution processes (self-attribution vs. stimulus-attribution) clarifies their function.
This framework can be extended to psychological tests beyond personality assessment.

Outlook:

Further research should explore the clinical and empirical implications of this new framework.
The proposed classification may enhance the interpretation and application of psychological testing.
This work encourages a shift towards process-oriented terminology in psychometrics.