NCJ Number
66929
Date Published
1977
Length
8 pages
Annotation
THE RESULTS OF A COMPARATIVE STUDY EXPLORING INMATE COOPERATION AND RECEPTIVITY WITH REGARD TO THE MMPI ARE REPORTED.
Abstract
TWO FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS (EL RENO, LOMPOC) ADMINISTERED THE MMPI TO A RANDOM SAMPLE POPULATION OF INCOMING INMATES. THE DIFFERENCE WAS THAT LOMPOC GAVE THE INMATES TO GO OVER THE SCORED MMPI, WHILE EL RENO DID NOT. AFTER THE TEST HAD BEEN ADMINISTERED, PRISONER ATTITUDES WERE EVALUATED ACCORDING TO A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL (COMPOSED OF 11 POLAR ADJECTIVES 5 OF WHICH REPRESENTED THE EVALUATIVE FACTOR). IN ALL, THERE WERE FOUR SAMPLE POPULATIONS: (1) LOMPOC INMATES GIVEN THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMPLETING THE MMPI, (2) LOMPOC INMATES GIVEN THE DIFFERENTIAL AFTER THE MMPI SCORES HAD BEEN INTERPRETED TO THEM, (3) EL RENO INMATES GIVEN THE DIFFERENTIAL IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MMPI, AND (4) EL RENO INMATES GIVEN THE DIFFERENTIAL 10 DAYS AFTER TAKING THE MMPI. THE RATINGS OF THE TWO LOMPOC GROUPS WERE EXTREMELY SIMILAR WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN ANY SINGLE CONCEPT. SUPRISINGLY, THE EL RENO DIFFERENTIAL RATINGS WERE VERY SIMILAR TO THE LOMPOC RATINGS. THE SIMILARITY IN SCORES, WHICH PLEASED THE EL RENO STAFF AND DISAPPOINTED THE LOMPOC STAFF, MUST BE CONSIDERED A TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ADMINISTERED THE TEST. THE OVERALL RESULTS BASED ON 88 RATINGS IN ALL 4 GROUPS INDICATE THAT INMATES DO NOT CONSIDER THIS TYPE OF PERSONALITY TEST DEHUMANIZING OR DEGRADING. HOWEVER, CONTINUED EFFORTS ON THE PART OF TESTING TEAMS MUST BE MADE TO EXPLAIN TO INMATES THE PURPOSE OF TESTING AND TO ACCEPT GENUINE FEEDBACK. THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL, STATISTICAL CHARTS, AND GRAPHS ARE INCLUDED. (SAJ)