Barnum Effect - Brief Personal Reflection

The Barnum Effect "a little something for everyone".

Psychometric tests consist of Barnum Effect, which imply generalization, and human are likely to fall into the trap. The classic example will be personality test. A set of personality-related items have been administered, and the subjects are likely to accept the result describing their personality.

As I recalled few years back, my participants are very pleased with the personality test. Most of them agree with the interpretation. How reliable and valid of the test? Personally, I believe it is just the trick of test.

We can never realize that explanation of our personality traits always lay in every domain. The only discussion is to discover which trait you are most prominent, and being told that each of us have all the traits which qualified as less prominent. Therefore, it is likely to be accepted.

Implication of psychometric tests is effective across context such as education setting, workforce or counselling sessions. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that they serve as basic guideline to further in depth understanding human traits. I admit that prior understanding of traits is essential to ease the process of forming contact with one another.

I believe that it is reliable yet validity is questionable. It is not content specific, yet it is domain general. Domain generality doesn't have specific object or mechanism to be focused on. It is just similar as learning. Learning is just a label, it doesn't content any information about what we learn, how we learn, what is the function of learning and etc.

Barnum effect is the newly term for me. I don't regard it as faulty or wrong, in fact it gives me hope, in provided I am not over indulged in it.

Psychology is just a Barnum effect, it gives justification for human thought, behavior and affect. It gives a free will for human to believe in what they believe. Psychology is an infinite variation, presents in every scent of life, which also makes psychology so attractive.

p/s: Barnum Effect is not only applied to personality test, it applies to horoscope, palm reading, tarot cards and so on.