Clinical Psychology

The Question of Discrimination. Since the rise
of the civil rights movement, most people have
become increasingly aware of the ways in which
society has both knowingly and unknowingly dis-
criminated against minorities. Within psychology,
attacks have centered on the ways in which tests
discriminate against minorities. For example, the
original standardization of the Stanford-Binet con-
tained no African American samples. Since then,
many tests have been published whose attempts to
include racially unbiased samples have been ques-
tioned. It is often charged that most psychological
tests are really designed for White middle-class
populations and that other groups are being tested
with devices that are inappropriate for them.

Sometimes the minority group members’lack

of exposure to tests and test situations may be a

major source of the problem. Such inexperience,

inadequate motivation, and discomfort in the pres-

ence of an examiner from another race all may

affect test performance. Often, too, test materials

are prepared or embedded in a racially unfair con-

text. For example, the TAT cards may all depict

White characters, or the items on an intelligence

test may not be especially familiar to an African

American child. The problem here is that the test

items themselves, the manner in which they are

presented, or the circumstances surrounding a test

may work to the disadvantage of the minority

individual.

From it, I determined that an academic career is a bet-

ter fit for me than an applied one. This was crucial as I

decided where to apply.

Any additional hints for applying to graduate school in

clinical psychology?

Get input from professors about your personal

statement. I was too shy and embarrassed about my

writing to ask for input. After the process was over,

I realized that my unpolished and overly personal

essay was probably a detriment to my application.

Finally, I hope you appreciate the competitive nature

of the process. If you are not accepted to your

favorite (or any) schools, stay positive! I’ve found

that despite my plans, things often work out for the

better. Where I ended up is a better fit for me than

many places I thought highly of but was not

admitted.

Finally, tell us about the work you have

conducted in Personality Assessment while in

graduate school.

During graduate school, my research has focused on

inaccurate reporting of symptoms on self-report per-

sonality assessment instruments. Sometimes people

hide symptoms they have, and sometimes they exag-

gerate or fabricate symptoms they don’t. My research

has focused on how well the current scales work to

detect this inaccurate responding. Danielle L. Burchett

Danielle Burchett

PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT 249