NCJ Number
57634
Journal
Journal of Clinical Psychology Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1978) Pages: 539-542
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
THE ABILITY OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST TO DISTINGUISH AMONG DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSAULTIVE INMATES AND BETWEEN ASSAULTIVE AND NONASSAULTIVE INMATES IS ASSESSED.
Abstract
THE GROUP PERSONALITY PROJECTIVE TEST (GPPT) IS A MULTIPLE-CHOICE INSTRUMENT THAT HAS BEEN USED TO EVALUATE PRISONERS. DEVELOPERS OF THE TEST CLAIM THAT IT CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN NORMALS AND BOTH NEUROPSYCHIATRICALLY MALADJUSTED AND DELINQUENCY-PRONE PERSONS. TO ASSESS THE GPPT'S UTILITY IN EVALUATING INMATES, THE TEST WAS ADMINISTERED TO 45 MALE INMATES AT THE COLORADO STATE PENITENTIARY WHO HAD BEEN SELECTED BY A BOARD OF 10 INMATES AS HAVING DEMONSTRATED ONE OF THREE PATTERNS OF ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR: UNDERCONTROLLED AGGRESSIVE, OVERCONTROLLED AGGRESSIVE, AND OVERCONTROLLED PSYCHOPATH. A CONTROL GROUP OF 15 NONASSAULTIVE INMATES WAS CHOSEN RANDOMLY FROM THE PRISON POPULATION. GPPT SCORES FAILED TO DISTINGUISH AMONG THE ASSAULTIVE GROUPS OR BETWEEN ASSAULTIVE INMATES AND CONTROLS. THE 60 INMATES HAD A MEAN GPPT SCORE OF 54, LOWER THAN THE SCORE OF 57 THAT IS SUPPOSED TO DISTINGUISH CRIMINALS FROM NONCRIMINALS. OVER HALF (65 PERCENT) OF THE SUBJECTS WERE MISCLASSIFIED AS FALSE NEGATIVES (NONCRIMINIAL) BY THE TEST. IN GENERAL, THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE GPPT SHOULD NOT BE USED TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS ABOUT INMATES. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A COPY OF THE TEST INSTRUMENT ARE NOT PROVIDED. (LKM)