Equivalency of Microtest computer MMPI administration for standard and special scales

摘要

This study examined the equivalence of the Microtest computer version of MMPI administration with traditional paper-pencil MMPI administration procedures. Eighty community volunteers were administered the MMPI twice under one of four conditions: computer-computer, traditional-traditional, computer-traditional, or traditional-computer. No significant differences were found between administration formats for means and standard deviations for the regularly scored validity and clinical scales and for 27 additional special scales. The rank-order of scores and the test-retest reliability for the computer format were found to be similar to the test-retest correlations for the traditional version. In general, the findings offer tentative support for the equivalency of Microtest and traditional MMPI administration procedures. However, post hoc evaluation of power indicates that conclusions regarding equivalency of the two administration formats must be tempered by the less than adequate statistical power for some of the analyses, particulary those associated with examination of test-retest correlation data. The issue of power has been ignored in previous computer equivalency studies and the current findings emphasize the need to consider this issue in future research planning and reporting.