Projective Personality Testing

Psychological Testing

Projective hypothesis
DEFINITION:

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

Concerns About Projectives

Assumptions:
The
There

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.

is an unconscious. Subjects are unaware of what they disclose.

Situational
Age

variables:

of examiner. Specific instructions. Subtle reinforcement cues. Setting - privacy.

Inkblots 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 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 examinees responses.

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

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: Scoring Categories

Location:
Part

Content:
Human

of inkblot utilized:

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

figures, animal figures, blood etc.

accurately examinees perception matches the corresponding part of the inkblot.

Determinants:
Qualities

Form:
How

of the inkblot:

Form, color, shading, movement.

Popularity

of response
of response.

Frequency

Inkblots: Interpretation 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: Psychometric 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:

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.

Exners system for the Rorschach

Comprised of best features of 5 different systems. Coding categories:

Location.
Determinants. Form

Coding

categories

(cont.):
Organizational

activity. Special scores.

Indexes

derived:

quality. Content. Popularity.

Obsessive

style. Depression. Coping deficit. Schizophrenia.

Pictures 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 (TAT)

Morgan

and Murray (1935). Elicit fantasy material from patients in psychoanalysis. 31 cards:
30 1

black & white with scenes:

story.

Describe

blank:
picture on card and tell related story.

Imagine

TAT: 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: Conclusions
Based

on:

Stories

told by examinee. Clinicians notes:

Examinees

response to the cards. Extra-test behavior and verbalizations. Analysis

of story requires special

training.

TAT: Interpretation
Murrays
Need

concepts:

- 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.)

Basic

assumption:
is identifying with protagonist in

Examinee

the story. Examinees concerns, hopes, fears, and desires are reflected in the protagonists needs, demands, and conflicts. That is, the examinees personality is projected onto the protagonist.

TAT Psychometric properties

Reliability:
Split-half,
Delivery

test-retest, and alternate-form reliability measures are not appropriate.

Inter-rater

reliability is acceptable. Situational factors:

Examiner. Events

of instructions. Transient internal needs states. Stimulus pull. Desire to fake good or bad.
Validity:
Conflicting

just prior to administration.

opinions regarding the validity of the assumptions and the interpretations.

Variations of the TAT

Thompson TAT 1949:

Use

CAT

- H:
instead of

Humans

animals.
Blacky

with African Americans. of animals.

Pictures Test

CAT 1949 (3-10):

Pictures

1950:
Used

Blacky the dog and his family and friends.

Blacky Test

Blacky Test

Blacky Test

Blacky Test

Other Picture-Story Tests

The

Picture Story Test 1949:

with adolescents.

Used

Education
Measure

Apperception Test and School Appreciation Test:

kids attitudes toward school and learning.

TEMAS:
Hispanic

characters and urban settings.

Other picture-story tests (cont.)

Make

A Picture Story Method 1952:

Arrange

pictures of figures on pictorial backgrounds.

The
8

Apperception Personality Test 1990:

stimulus cards with recognizable people in everyday settings; more upbeat than TAT. Multiple choice questions fill in the gap.

Words as Projective Stimuli

Semi-structured
Use

technique:

of open-ended words, phrases and sentences provides a framework within which the examinee must operate.

Word
2

association and sentence completion tests:

best-known examples.

Early Influences: Word Projection

Galton

1879:

Present

series of words and respond with first word that comes to mind.

Jung
Key

1910:

words representing possible areas of conflict.

Kent-Rosanoff

Free Association Test

1910:
Attempt

to standardize responses to specific

words.

Word Association Test

Rapaport,
3

Gill and Schafer (1946):

part test consisting of 60 words.

Basis

of evaluation:
time. response.

Popularity. Response Content. Test-retest

Sentence Completion Tests

Complete
I

the following:

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 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: Figure 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, visualmotor coordination, cognitive development, and learning disabilities. Questionable use.

Machovers Draw-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.

 Placement
right

Machovers Draw-A-Person Test Evaluation Criteria

of the figure:

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

Facial
large

expressions:
eyes or ears - suspiciousness; paranoid.

Light

pencil pressure:
disturbance.

character

Figure

size, line quality, symmetry etc.

Other Figure Drawings

House

Tree Person
1948.

(HTP)
Buck

Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD):

Burns

& Kaufman (1970). Picture of everyone in family doing something. No widely accepted scoring system.