How Self-Report Inventories Are Used in Psychology

A self-report inventory is a type of psychological test often used to assess attitudes, characteristics, and other personality traits. This type of test is often presented in a paper-and-pencil format or may even be administered on a computer. A typical self-report inventory presents a number of questions or statements that may or may not describe certain qualities or characteristics of the test subject.

Chances are good that you have taken a self-report inventory at some time in the past. Such questionnaires are often seen in doctors’ offices, in online personality tests, and in market research surveys. Even the fun quizzes you often see shared on Facebook are examples of self-report inventories.

While some inventories are being used in an informal and entertaining way, there are other surveys that can and do serve much more serious goals in collecting data and helping to identify potential problems in employment settings, clinical practice, forensic settings, or research labs.

This type of survey can be used to look at your current behaviors, past behaviors, and possible behaviors in hypothetical situations. There are many different self-report inventories. The following are just a few well-known examples.

The MMPI-3

Perhaps the most famous self-report inventory is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). This personality test was first published in the 1940s, later revised in the 1980s, and again in 2020, and is today known as the MMPI-3. The test contains 335 true-false statements (reduced from over 500) that assess a wide variety of topics including interpersonal relationships, abnormal behaviors, and psychological health as well as political, social, religious, and sexual attitudes.

The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire

Another well-known example of a self-report inventory is the 16PF Questionnaire developed by Raymond Cattell to assess individuals based on his trait theory of personality. This test is used to generate a personality profile of the individual including dimensions of warmth, reason, perfectionism, and emotional stability. It is often used to help people select a career based on their personality.

California Personality Inventory

The California Personality Inventory (CPI), created by Harrison Gough in 1957, is now in its third edition and includes 434 true-false statements based on the MMPI, from which nearly half of the questions are drawn. Unlike the MMPI, this assessment is used for a range of normal personality traits rather than pathology, including characteristics such as self-control, empathy, independence, and achievement potential. The CPI-260 is the shorter version and is often used by human resources to determine leadership qualities and other strengths and weaknesses of potential employees.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Self-Report Inventories

Self-report inventories are often a good solution when researchers need to administer a large number of tests in relatively short space of time. Many self-report inventories can be completed very quickly, often in as little as 15 minutes. This type of questionnaire is an affordable option for researchers faced with tight budgets.

However, self-report inventories do have their weaknesses. For example, while many tests implement strategies to prevent "faking good" or "faking bad" (essentially pretending to be better or worse than one really is), research has shown that people are still able to exercise deception while taking self-report tests.

Another weakness is that some of these tests are very long and tedious. For example, the MMPI and CPI can take approximately one hour to complete, which is an improvement from previous versions. In some cases, test respondents may simply lose interest and not answer questions accurately. Additionally, people are sometimes not the best judges of their own behavior, lacking insight. Furthermore, some individuals may try to hide their own feelings, thoughts, and attitudes, worrying about the outcomes and use of the test results.