Which of the following is the best reason for the MMPI to include similar health questions asked in different ways?

• A. To provide more opportunities for respondents to skip questions they do not understand
• B. To assess the consistency of a respondent's answers and detect possible response biases
• C. To ensure that all possible health conditions are covered in the assessment
• D. To increase the length of the test and make it more challenging for participants

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the purpose of the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), which is a psychological assessment tool designed to evaluate personality structure and psychopathology.
2. Recognize that including similar health questions asked in different ways helps to check if respondents answer consistently, which is important for the reliability of the test results.
3. Know that inconsistent answers to similar questions can indicate response biases, such as random responding, exaggeration, or attempts to present oneself in a certain way (e.g., faking good or bad).
4. Realize that the MMPI uses these repeated or rephrased items as validity scales to detect such biases and ensure the accuracy of the assessment.
5. Conclude that the best reason for including similar health questions in different forms is to assess the consistency of responses and identify possible response biases, rather than to increase test length or cover all health conditions.