He 16 Factor questionnaire, whose author is RBCATTEL, was built based on the general theory of personality. It is an instrument developed through psychological research, with an empirical basis of more than 10 years of factorial experimentation on thousands of elements. Its purpose is to offer an objective and very complete vision of the personality in the shortest possible time.
Assessment
The 16PF assesses 16 primary personality factors and their opposites.
In addition to the 16 primary dimensions, it covers another group of broader second-order factors that are obtained from the typical scores, decatypes, obtained on the first-order factors.
Application
16PF was designed to be applied to subjects 16 years of age and older (Adolescents and adults)
They currently exist six different ways of application:
- C and D are intended for subjects with a medium-low education. It is frequently used for professional selection. The test consists of 105 items and requires 30 to 40 minutes of time to complete.
- A and B are intended for people with a level of training equivalent to or higher than high school. The test consists of 187 items and requires 45 to 60 minutes of time to complete.
- E and F are designed for adults who have a deficit in their training or a level below normal. The test consists of 128 items and requires 30 to 40 minutes of time to complete.
The main difference between Forms A/B and Forms C/D is their length and the time required for their application.
Interpretative norms
The direct scores obtained from the personality questionnaire, so that they can be evaluated and interpreted, must be converted to a common and single scale that places the subject’s score in relation to those obtained by a normative and defined group of the population. The tables built in the typing allow the conversion of typical scores into decatypes.
The decatypes are distributed on a ten-point scale. Thus, decatypes 5 and 6 are average values, 4 and 7 show a small deviation from the mean, 2 and 3, and 8 and 9 indicate a large deviation, and 1 and 10 are extreme values., understanding these positions as relating to the specific population on which the typing was carried out.
The selection of the appropriate scale allows obtaining the decatypes corresponding to the direct scores achieved by any subject.
Reliability and validity
The first type of consistency is the reliability or agreement of the results over time. Reliability can be subdivided into:
- Permanence coefficient or test-retest correlation on two different occasions separated by a small time interval
- Stability coefficient or test-retest correlation with a longer time interval.
The concept of validity requires choosing items that are good measures of personality factors as these factors are defined by research studies. This concept of validity of the scales can be evaluated directly by correlating the direct scores with the pure factors or indirectly by determining to what degree the correlations obtained between the 16PF scales and a group of various psychological variables agree with those that would be expected to obtain. based on conceptual criteria.
Ratings from other authors
According to Anatasi, a somewhat different application of factorial methods for developing personality inventories is found in the work of Cattel (1946, 1957). Cattel began by collecting all the names of personality traits that appear in dictionaries such as the one compiled by Allpot and Odbert (1936) or in psychological or psychiatric literature.
BecKer (1960) believes that some of the supposed similarities in trait descriptions seem forced and not very convincing.
Anastasi: In form (C) a motivational alteration or verification key is given. Because of the brevity of the scales, the reliabilities of factor scores for any single form are typically low. Even when two forms are combined.
There is also some doubt about the factorial homogeneity of the scales (Levonian, 1961). Available information on normative samples and other aspects of test development is inadequate. Empirical assessment data include averages for various occupational groups and psychiatric syndromes.
Homogeneity and factorial purity are desirable goals in developing a test, but they are not substitutes for empirical validity.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to 16 PF, Personality Questionnairewe recommend that you enter our category.