Development and Application of a Novel Method for the Assessment of Interpersonal Judgment: Relationships with Personality Pathology
Abstract
Although interpersonal impairment represents a core feature of personality pathology, the exact nature of the interpersonal impairment remains unclear. One barrier to comprehensively assessing interpersonal functioning in this population is a current lack of suitable methodology. The current study presents the development and initial validation of a novel methodology which 1) utilizes a dynamic (i.e., video-based) behavioral assessment method, 2) assesses the accuracy and biases of both interpersonal perceptions and anticipated reactions, and 3) aligns with interpersonal theory and the structure of the interpersonal circumplex. The final method, named the Video-based Interpersonal Behavioral Evaluation (VIBE), presents a respondent with eight stimulus videos depicting dyadic interpersonal interactions, each representing one octant of the interpersonal circumplex, and asks the respondent to make judgments regarding their perception of the interpersonal behavior of one target (Person A) and the interpersonal reaction they anticipate from the second target (Person B) for each video. The VIBE was found to be highly reliable and demonstrated good fit with circumplex structure in both the development and cross-validation samples, comprised of undergraduates and mixed community/clinical participants, respectively. However, contrary to hypotheses, performance on the VIBE was not consistently associated with personality pathology, although some significant relationships were observed. This method is anticipated to better direct research efforts investigating the interpersonal judgments of individuals with personality pathology, which to date have produced inconsistent findings, and ultimately aid in the development of more specifically targeted treatment interventions.
Citation
Mccredie, Morgan Nicole (2023). Development and Application of a Novel Method for the Assessment of Interpersonal Judgment: Relationships with Personality Pathology. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /200004.