Rotter Incomplete Sentence

Blank Test (RISB)

Lecture No 03
Subject: Psychological Testing & Measurement-II
Credit Hour: 3(2-1)
Class: BS 6th (M+EA+EB),
Instructor: Nazia Yaqoob
Department of Applied Psychology
Govt. College Women University, Faisalabad
Type of Personality Test
⚫Semi- Projective Test
Introduction
▪ RISB was developed by Julian Rotter and Benjamin
Willerman in the early 1940s as a means of screening
large groups of soldiers to evaluate adjustment and
fitness to return to duty and to obtain specific
information for evaluation and treatment.
Conti…
▪ The original RISB was published in 1950, and the
most recent revisions, including
▪ separate forms for clients in high school, college and
adulthood, were published in 1992.
DEVELOPMENT OF RISB
▪ In the development of the RISB ,two objectives were
kept in mind .
▪ One aim was to provide a technique which could be
used objectively for screening and experimental
purposes.
▪ It was felt that this technique should have at least some of
the advantages of projective methods, and also be
economical from the point of view of administration and
scoring.
▪ A second goal was to obtain information of rather
specific diagnostic value for treatment purposes
Purpose
▪ Measuring both adjustment and maladjustment is a
chief aim of the RISB,
PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES
▪ RELIABILITY: of the test refers to the
consistency among scoring on the same test by the
same individual in different administration on
different occasion.
▪ There is good inter-rater reliability (about 0.90)
▪ Cronbach’s alpha = 0.69
VALIDITY
▪ Of the test is concerned with the purpose of the test
for which it was constructed.
▪ The incomplete sentence blank was validation on
groups of subjects which did not include any of cases
used in developing the scoring principles and the
manuals.
NORMS
▪ Without the development of the norms we cannot
compare the score of psychological test without
comparison score are meaningless.

▪ A distribution of scores on the ISB for a

representative college freshman population was
obtained by giving the incomplete sentences blank
at Ohio state university.
CONTI………..
▪ The agreement between corresponding first and
third quartile points was very close .

▪ It was interesting to find that the correlation

coefficient between the Ohio state psychological
examination scores and ISB scores.
USES OF RISB
▪ The RISB is one of the most frequently used performance-
based tests with youths referred to mental health clinics
(Holaday et al., 2000).

▪ Approximately 18% of clinicians use the RISB when assessing

child clients, whereas 32% use the RISB with referred
adolescents.
▪ Furthermore, sentence-completion tests are the most
frequently used performance-based measures administered by
school psychologists (Hojnoski, Morrison, Brown, & Matthews,
2006).
▪ Approximately 61% of school psychologists have reported
using sentence-completion tests, such as the RISB, to assess
children and adolescents.
CONTI……………..
▪ RISB to screen for social-emotional problems or to corroborate
diagnoses, to obtain idiographic information about their young
clients’ social-emotional functioning or personality, and to
identify themes in adolescents’ responses that might be
addressed in treatment (Kamphaus & Frick, 2002; Miller &
Nickerson, 2007).

▪ Use of the RISB with clinic-referred children and adolescents

may be problematic.

▪ Although there are three versions of the RISB—one for

adolescents, one for college students, and one for adults—
CURRENT ADMINISTERATION
▪ The RISB was administered on the female of 20 years
of age.
▪ The test consisted of forty items which had to be
completed by the subject .
▪ The test was administered in a class setting .
▪ Subject was seated comfortably on the chair.
▪ The room was well ventilated and well lighted.
▪ The subject completed the test in 20 minutes.
ADMINISTRATION
▪ Incomplete sentence blank college form
▪ Sex…………………………
▪ Age……………………Marital state…………………
▪ Place………………………..Date……………………….
Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank
▪ Complete these sentences to express your real feeling. Try to do every one.
▪ Be sure to make complete sentences.
▪ 1. I like……………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 2. The happiest time………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 3. I want to know………………………………………………………………………........
▪ 4. Back home………………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 5. I regret…………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 6. At bedtime………………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 7. Boys……………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 8. The best…………………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 9. What annoys me…………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 10. People…………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 11. A mother………………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 12. I feel…………………………………………………………………………………......
▪ 13. My great fear…………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 14. In high school…………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 15. I can’t…………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 16. Sports…………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 17. When I was child………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 18. My nerves………………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 19. Other people……………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 20. I suffer…………………………………………………………………………………...

Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood

Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank
▪ Complete these sentences to express your real feeling. Try to do every one.
▪ Be sure to make complete sentences.
▪ 21. I failed…………………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 22. Reading………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 23. My mind………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 24. The future………………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 25. I need…………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 26. Marriage………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 27. I am best when…………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 28. Sometimes……………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 29. What pains me…………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 30. I hate……………………………………………………………………………………..
▪ 31. This school……………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 32. I am very………………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 33. The only trouble……………………………………………………………….………...
▪ 34. I wish…………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 35. My father………………………………………………………………………………...
▪ 36. I secretly………………………………………………………………………………....
▪ 37. I………………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 38. Dancing………………………………………………………………………………….
▪ 39. My greatest worry is…………………………………………………………………….
▪ 40. Most girls………………………………………………………………………………..
Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood
Education, 5e.
© 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
Rotter’s Incomplete Sentences
Blank (ISB)
▪ 40 items with short stems
▪ Takes about 20 minutes, easy to administer
▪ Has a scoring manual with scoring criteria
▪ Acceptable reliability
▪ Cut off of 135 for maladjustment
▪ Total score 240
Scoring the ISB
▪ 6. Severe conflict: suicidal, severe family problems, strong
negative attitudes, bizarre
▪ 5. Moderate conflict: inferiority, generalized social
difficulty, psychosomatic complaints, concern over failure.
▪ 4. Mild conflict: specific c., not deep-seated or
incapacitating.
▪ 3. Neutral: neither + or -. Lacking emotion or personal
reference.
▪ 2. Specific positive: + attitude toward spec. things (e.g.,
school, hobbies) and general warm feelings toward others.
▪ 1. General positive: gen + feelings, optimism, humor, social
adjustment
▪ 0. Very positive: clear and intense humor, optimism,
acceptance of others.
SCORING PRINCIPLES
▪ 1: Omission:
▪ Omission responses are designated as those for
which no answers is given or for which the thought
is incomplete. Omissions and fragment are not
scored .
2:CONFLICT RESPONSES
▪ “C” or conflict responses are those indicated an un
healthy or maladjusted frame of mind.
▪ These include
▪ hostility reactions ,
▪ pessimism,
▪ symptom elicitation,
▪ hopelessness and suicidal wishes ,
▪ statement of unhappy experiences, and
▪ indications of past maladjustment.
Category
▪ Responses range from C1 to C3 according to the severity of the conflict or
maladjusted expressed.

▪ The numerical weights for the conflict are C1=4 C2=5 C3=6 Typical of the
C1 category are responses in which concern is expressed regarding such
things as the world state of affairs, financial problems, physical complaints.
CONTI….
▪ In general it might be said that subsumed under C1
are minor problems which are not deep-seated or
incapacitating, and more or less specific difficulties.

▪ More serious indications of maladjustment are found

in the C2 category.

▪ On the whole there responses refer to broader, more

generalized difficulties than are found in C1.
Conti……
▪ I Included here are expressions of inferiority
feelings, psychosomatic complaints, concern over
possible failure ,generalized school problems, lack of
goals, feeling of inadequacy, concern over vocational
choice, and difficulty in heterosexual relationships as
well as generalized social difficulty.

▪ Expression of severe conflict or indications of

maladjustments are rated C3.
CONTI………
▪ Among the difficulties found in this area are suicidal
wishes, sexual conflicts, severe family problems,
fear of insanity, strong negative attitudes toward
people in general, feelings of confusion, expression
of rather bizarre attitudes, and so forth.
▪ For example “I like . . to know if I am crazy”.
▪ This type of response will lie in C3 category.
▪ “The happiest time . . . . is over” and this type of
response will lie in C2 category.
▪ “I want to know …about life”, this type of response
will lie in C1 category.
3:POSITIVE RESPONSE
▪ “P” or positive responses are those indicating a
healthy or hopeful frame of mind.
▪ These are evidence by humorous or flippant
remarks, optimistic responses, and acceptance
reactions.
▪ Responses range from P1to P3 depending on the
degree of good adjustment expressed in the
statement.
▪ The numerical weights for the positive responses are
P1= 2 P2=1 P3=0
Conti…
▪ In the P1 class common responses are those which
deal with

▪ positive attitudes toward school,

▪ hobbies,
▪ sports,
▪ expression interest in people,
▪ expression of warm feeling toward some individual
and so on.
CONTI……
▪ Generally found under the heading of P2 are those
replies which indicate a generalized positive feeling
toward people, good social adjustment, healthy
family life, optimism and humor.

▪ Clear-cut good-natured humor, real optimism, and

warm acceptance are types of responses which are
subsumed under the P3 group.

▪ The ISB deviates from most of the test in that it

scores humorous responses.
Conti…
▪ For example,
▪ “ I like. . . to have good time”, this type of response
will lie in P1 category.
▪ “The happiest time . . . is yet to come”, this type of
response will lie in P2 category.
▪ “Back home. . .are many friends”, this type of
response will lie in P3 category.
4:NEUTRAL RESPONSE
▪ “N” or neutral responses are those not falling clearly
into either of the above categories.

▪ They are generally on a simple descriptive level.

▪ Two general types of responses which account for a

large share of those that fall in the neutral category.

▪ One group includes those lacking emotional tone or

personal reference.
Conti…
▪ The other group is composed of many responses
which are found as often among maladjusted as
among adjusted individual and through clinical
judgment could not be legitimately place in either C
or P group.
▪ All the N responses are scored 3.For example,
▪ “Most girls . . . are females” or “
▪ “When I was child . . . I spoke as a child”.
▪ These types of responses will lie in neutral
responses.
Questions
▪ According to you why we use RISB to assess the
personality of the Individual?
▪ What sort of information we get through Personality
test?