Projective

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.

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Projective Personality Testing

Concerns About Projectives

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

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

Inkblots as projective stimuli

Rorschach (1884 - 1922). 10 bilaterally symmetrical inkblots on separate cards:

black and white. 2 black, white, and red. 3 multicolor.

Inkblots: Initial administration

might this be? Record response verbatim:

discussion of examinees responses.

Inkblots: The inquiry

made it look like _____? or How do you see ____?

Inkblots: Testing the limits

Inkblots: Scoring Categories

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

figures, animal figures, blood etc.

Form, color, shading, movement.

Inkblots: Interpretation of scores

Inkblots: Psychometric Properties

- .62 MMPI - .46

The Rorschach Ink Blot:

widely used clinical instrument:

of references in the Mental Measurements Yearbook.

Exners system for the Rorschach

activity. Special scores.

quality. Content. Popularity.

style. Depression. Coping deficit. Schizophrenia.

Pictures as Projective Stimuli

First used in 1907:

reported in responses of boys and girls to 9 pictures.

Variety of pictures utilized:

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

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

black & white with scenes:

told by examinee. Clinicians notes:

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

of story requires special

TAT Interpretation (cont.)

TAT Psychometric properties

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

reliability is acceptable. Situational factors:

just prior to administration.

opinions regarding the validity of the assumptions and the interpretations.

Variations of the TAT

Thompson TAT 1949:

with African Americans. of animals.

CAT 1949 (3-10):

Blacky the dog and his family and friends.

Other Picture-Story Tests

Picture Story Test 1949:

Apperception Test and School Appreciation Test:

characters and urban settings.

Other picture-story tests (cont.)

A Picture Story Method 1952:

pictures of figures on pictorial backgrounds.

Apperception Personality Test 1990:

Words as Projective Stimuli

association and sentence completion tests:

Early Influences: Word Projection

words representing possible areas of conflict.

made it look like _? or How do you see ?