| Age: | 16+ |
| Time: | 15 minutes |
| Uses: | juvenile/adult correctional facilities |
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The Carlson Psychological Survey (CPS) is an instrument for the assessment and classification of criminal offenders, persons charged with crimes, and others who have come to the attention of the criminal justice or social welfare systems. The CPS was designed to reflect the unique situations of these individuals as well as the atypical reasons for referral. More generally, it is quite useful with any persons presenting behavioral or substance abuse problems.
The CPS is a 50-item questionnaire designed specifically to overcome the difficulties encountered in the use of many standardized tests with offender populations. Only minimal literacy demands are placed upon respondents; the average reading difficulty of the items is approximately a Grade 4 level. The 5-category response format includes space for additional respondent comments, eliminating the frustration commonly noted with true-false formats.
An outstanding feature of the CPS is the information offered for classifying respondents. Using modern multivariate statistical techniques, 18 offender types are identified in the manual, including descriptive summaries, pre-sentence reports, sample case histories, psychological and psychiatric reports, as well as data regarding institutional behavior and four-year post-release adjustment.
The scale scores provided by the CPS represent four (4) content areas and one validity check: Antisocial Tendencies, Chemical Abuse, Self-Depreciation, Thought Disturbance, Validity.
The internal consistencies (coefficient alpha) for the four content scales ranged from .67 to .82, derived on two samples, each of 206 male inmates. Test-retest reliabilities over two weeks ranged from .87 to .92, and in a sample of recidivists after eight years the coefficients ranged from .10 to .43.
The CPS Extended Report generated by the Mail-in Scoring service consists of a profile of the respondent's scores on the five CPS scales, scale descriptions, an offender type description for respondents that match one of the 18 CPS offender types, a scale by scale analysis for respondents that do not match one of the 18 CPS offender types, a listing of critical items, as well as a summary page. The answer sheet provided with the CPS Extended Report contains the 50 CPS items, eliminating the need for separate test booklets. Materials required for mail-in scoring include a manual and one machine scorable question and answer sheet.
Administer and score the CPS directly on your computer using our SigmaSoft CPS for Windows software. The CPS for Windows software produces two types of reports. The Extended Report is similar to that available from our Mail-in Scoring service. The Basic Report contains all of the scores found in the Extended Report, but does not contain the offender information. The Data Report presents the scores found in the Basic Report in a format designed for use by other programs. In addition to the software itself, you will need to purchase enough coupons to pay for each report you wish to produce.
| Report Type | Coupons Required |
|---|---|
| Extended | 4 |
| Basic | 3 |
| Data | 2 |
The CPS Manual presents data from several studies related to the validity of the CPS. Item desirability ratings, faking studies, correlations with the MMPI, use of the CPS with other populations, and the sensitivity of the CPS to treatment effects and differences among various inmate groups are all reported.
Kit includes manual (CD-ROM ONLY), 5 question and answer booklets, 5 scoring sheets, 5 profile sheets, and 1 machine readable answer sheet for an Extended Report.
The CAB was designed to assess: (1) clinical syndromes on Axis I of the DSM, (2) personality disorders according to strict criteria on Axis II of the DSM, and (3) neuropsychological functioning.
The PT is a unique adaptation of the CPS, specifically for Spanish-literate offenders.
Copyright © 2005-2007,
SIGMA Assessment Systems
P.O. Box 610757, Port Huron, Michigan, USA 48061-0757
All rights reserved.
