role of inventories, as well as their current promi-
nence, is due in large part to their obvious advan-
tages. First of all, they are economical. After only
brief instructions, large groups can be tested simul-
taneously, or a single patient can complete an
inventory alone. Even computer scoring and inter-
pretation of these tests are possible. Second, scoring
and administration are relatively simple and objec-
tive. This in turn tends to make interpretation easier
and seems to require less interpretive skill on the
part of the clinician. Often, a simple score along a
single dimension (e.g., functional–dysfunctional) or
on a single trait (e.g., depression, psychopathy) is
possible. This apparent simplicity obviously attracts
many clinicians. However, as we shall see, rarely
does such simple interpretation culminate in the
validity claimed for it. In fact, this apparent simplic-
ity can frequently lead to rather widespread misuse
by ill-trained testers. A final attraction of self-report
inventories, particularly for clinicians who are dis-
enchanted with the problems inherent in projective
tests, is their apparent objectivity and reliability.
Of course, as is so often the case, in the process
of achieving the foregoing advantages and econo-
mies, clinical psychology seems to have traded one
set of problems for another. Whether the trade-off
is worthwhile is ultimately determined by one’s
values and one’s theoretical orientation.T A B L E 8-1 Top 20 Assessment Procedures Used by Clinical Psychologists
Test or Procedure
Percentage of Clinical
Psychologists (1995)a Rank Order (2000)bClinical Interview 95 n/r
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) 93 01
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) 85 02
Sentence Completion Methods 84 15
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) 82 06
Rorschach 82 04
Bender-Gestalt 80 05
Projective Drawings 80 08
Beck Depression Inventory 71 10
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) 69 03
Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R) 68 07
Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised 65 09
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) 50 20
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) 49 10
WPPSI-R 44 n/r
Children’s Apperception Test 42 16
Vineland Social Maturity Scale 42 18
Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory 40 16
Strong Interest Inventory 39 n/r
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale 38 n/r
aPercentage of clinical psychologists who indicated that they used test or procedure at least“occasionally.”
bRank order of frequency of percentage of clinical psychologists who indicated that they used test.
SOURCES: Adapted from Watkins et al. (1995), Table 4, p. 57; adapted from Camara et al. (2000), Table 5, p. 148.
220 CHAPTER 8