Projective Personality

Testing

Psychological Testing

Projective hypothesisProjective hypothesis

DEFINITION: In a projective test, an individual “supplies structure to unstructured stimuli in a manner consistent with the individual’s own unique pattern of conscious and unconscious needs, fears, desires, impulses, conflicts, and ways of perceiving and responding.”

Concerns About ProjectivesConcerns About Projectives

Assumptions: The more unstructured

the stimuli, the more examinees reveal about their personality.

Projection is greater to stimulus material that is similar to the examinee.

Every response provides meaning for personality analysis.

There is an “unconscious.”

Subjects are unaware of what they disclose.

Situational variables: Age of examiner. Specific instructions. Subtle reinforcement

cues. Setting - privacy.

Inkblots as projective stimuliInkblots as projective stimuli

The Rorschach: Hermann Rorschach (1884 - 1922). 10 bilaterally symmetrical inkblots on

separate cards: 5 black and white. 2 black, white, and red. 3 multicolor.

Inkblots: Initial administrationInkblots: Initial administration

“What might this be?” Record response verbatim:

Include time until first response. Position of card, spontaneous statements,

nonverbal gestures or body movements. No discussion of examinee’s

responses.

Inkblots: “The inquiry”Inkblots: “The inquiry”

“What made it look like _____?” or “How do you see ____?” Clarify initial responses and determine which

aspects of inkblot were most influential. Determine if examinee remembers initial

responses and if original response is still seen.

Ask about “any new perceptions?”

Inkblots: “Testing the limits”Inkblots: “Testing the limits”

Ask specific questions to get additional information about personality functioning.

Identify confusion/misunderstanding about the task.

Determine if examinee is able to do better with more testing structure.

Inkblots: Inkblots: Scoring CategoriesScoring Categories

Location: Part of inkblot utilized:

Entire blot, large or small section, minute detail, white space.

Determinants: Qualities of the inkblot:

Form, color, shading, movement.

Popularity of response Frequency of response.

Content: Human figures,

animal figures, blood etc.

Form: How accurately

examinee’s perception matches the corresponding part of the inkblot.

Inkblots: Inkblots: Interpretation of scoresInterpretation of scores

Generate hypotheses based on patterns of response, recurrent themes and interrelationships among scoring categories: Whole responses - conceptual thought

processes. Form - reality testing. Human movement - imagination. Color - emotional reactivity.

Inkblots: Inkblots: Psychometric PropertiesPsychometric Properties

Split-half and test-retest methods are not feasible.

Inter-scorer reliability (with respect to categories) is acceptable.

Inter-scorer reliability (with respect to interpretation) is not always acceptable.

Convergent validity of .41: WAIS - .62 MMPI - .46

The Rorschach Ink Blot:The Rorschach Ink Blot:

Still widely used clinical instrument: Most frequently used projective test; Most frequently taught projective technique

in counseling psychology programs and practicum sites.

Extensively used as a research instrument: Thousands of references in the Mental

Measurements Yearbook.

Exner’s system for the Exner’s system for the Rorschach Rorschach

Comprised of best features of 5 different systems.

Coding categories: Location. Determinants. Form quality. Content. Popularity.

Coding categories (cont.): Organizational

activity. Special scores.

Indexes derived: Obsessive style. Depression. Coping deficit. Schizophrenia.

Pictures as Projective StimuliPictures as Projective Stimuli

First used in 1907: Differences reported

in responses of boys and girls to 9 pictures.

Variety of pictures utilized: Paintings, drawings,

etchings, or photos of animals, people, objects or anything.

Thematic Apperception Test Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)(TAT)

Morgan and Murray (1935). Elicit fantasy material from patients in

psychoanalysis. 31 cards:

30 black & white with scenes: Describe story.

1 blank: Imagine picture on card and tell related story.

TAT: AdministrationTAT: Administration

A set of 20 cards is recommended, but the number may vary based on length of stories: Some cards are suggested for use with

adult males, adult females, or both. Some cards are best used with children;

however, all cards may be administered to any subject.

TAT: ConclusionsTAT: Conclusions

Based on: Stories told by examinee. Clinician’s notes:

Examinee’s response to the cards. Extra-test behavior and verbalizations.

Analysis of story requires special training.

TAT: InterpretationTAT: Interpretation

Murray’s concepts: Need - determinants of behavior arising

from within the individual. Press - determinants of behavior arising

from within the environment. Thema - interaction between need and

press.

TAT Interpretation (cont.)TAT Interpretation (cont.)

Basic assumption: Examinee is identifying with protagonist in

the story. Examinee’s concerns, hopes, fears, and

desires are reflected in the protagonist’s needs, demands, and conflicts.

That is, the examinee’s personality is projected onto the protagonist.

TAT Psychometric propertiesTAT Psychometric properties

Reliability: Split-half, test-retest,

and alternate-form reliability measures are not appropriate.

Inter-rater reliability is acceptable.

Situational factors: Examiner. Events just prior to

administration.

Delivery of instructions. Transient internal needs

states. Stimulus pull. Desire to fake good or

bad. Validity:

Conflicting opinions regarding the validity of the assumptions and the interpretations.

Variations of the TATVariations of the TAT

Thompson TAT 1949: Use with African

Americans.

CAT 1949 (3-10): Pictures of animals.

CAT - H: Humans instead of

animals.

Blacky Pictures Test 1950: Used Blacky the dog

and his family and friends.

Blacky TestBlacky Test

Blacky TestBlacky Test

Blacky TestBlacky Test

Blacky TestBlacky Test

Other Picture-Story TestsOther Picture-Story Tests

The Picture Story Test 1949: Used with adolescents.

Education Apperception Test and School Appreciation Test: Measure kids’ attitudes toward school and

learning. TEMAS:

Hispanic characters and urban settings.

Other picture-story tests (cont.)Other picture-story tests (cont.)

Make A Picture Story Method 1952: Arrange pictures of figures on pictorial

backgrounds. The Apperception Personality Test

1990: 8 stimulus cards with recognizable people

in everyday settings; more upbeat than TAT.

Multiple choice questions fill in the gap.

Words as Projective StimuliWords as Projective Stimuli

Semi-structured technique: Use of open-ended words, phrases and

sentences provides a framework within which the examinee must operate.

Word association and sentence completion tests: 2 best-known examples.

Early Influences: Early Influences: Word ProjectionWord Projection

Galton 1879: Present series of words and respond with first

word that comes to mind. Jung 1910:

Key words representing possible areas of conflict.

Kent-Rosanoff Free Association Test 1910: Attempt to standardize responses to specific

words.

Word Association TestWord Association Test

Rapaport, Gill and Schafer (1946): 3 part test consisting of 60 words.

Basis of evaluation: Popularity. Response time. Content. Test-retest response.

Sentence Completion TestsSentence Completion Tests

Complete the following: “I like to _____________.”

Stems may be general or specific depending on the setting.

Obtain information about interests, goals, fears, conflicts, needs, etc.

High degree of face validity: Most vulnerable projective test to faking.

Rotter Incomplete Sentences Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (1950)Blank (1950)

Most popular. 40 incomplete sentences . 3 levels:

high school, college and adult. Estimates of inter-scorer reliability (with

respect to scoring categories) are in the .90s.

Projective:Projective:Figure DrawingsFigure Drawings

Quick and easy administration: Individually or in a group. Non-clinicians can administer. Pencil and paper only.

Used to obtain information about intelligence, neurological intactness, visual-motor coordination, cognitive development, and learning disabilities.

Questionable use.

Machover’s Machover’s Draw-A-Person TestDraw-A-Person Test

Administration: “Draw a person” on

piece of 8 1/2 X 11 blank white paper.

2nd drawing of other sex.

“Tell me a story about the figure.”

Machover’s Machover’s Draw-A-Person Test Evaluation Draw-A-Person Test Evaluation

CriteriaCriteria Placement of the figure:

right - future; left - past; upper right - suppress past and optimism; lower left - depression.

Facial expressions: large eyes or ears - suspiciousness; paranoid.

Light pencil pressure: character disturbance.

Figure size, line quality, symmetry etc.

Other Figure DrawingsOther Figure Drawings

House Tree Person (HTP) Buck 1948.

Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD): Burns & Kaufman (1970). Picture of everyone in

family doing something. No widely accepted

scoring system.