Name the Validity scales in the PAI?

• A. Inconsistency, infrequency, negative impression and positive impression
• B. Inconsistency, infrequency, negative impression and neutral impression
• C. Inconsistency, infrequency, positive impression and neutral impression
• D. Infrequency, negative impression, positive impression and neutral impression

Answer: (A)

The test uses validity scales to catch response biases that could distort the rest of the results. The four validity scales in the PAI are Inconsistency, Infrequency, Negative Impression, and Positive Impression. Inconsistency looks for random or careless answering, Infrequency flags improbable or exaggerative responses, Negative Impression signals a tendency to present oneself in a overly negative light, and Positive Impression signals a tendency to present oneself in an overly favorable light. These four together are used to judge whether the profile should be interpreted as valid.

The correct option lists exactly these four scales. The other options introduce a neutral impression (which isn’t a PAI validity scale) or omit one of the actual scales, which is why they aren’t correct.