Projective personality tests Flashcards
Core hypothesis of Projective personality tests
Responses to ambiguous stimuli permit access to unconscious needs and conflicts.
Sample methods of projective personality tests (3)
- Perceptions of inkblots
- Telling stories about pictures
- Completing sentence stems
Projective test Assumptions (3)
- Responses to ambiguous stimuli are determined by personality characteristics
- Reveal characteristics beneath the surface (bypass defences, unaffected by social desirability/context)
- Provide broad coverage of personality characteristics
Projective tests - Advantages (3)
- Purpose of the test is disguised
- Possibly cuts down on faking
- Provides information outside of awareness
Rorschach - Content
10 inkblot cards
- 5 inkblots in shades of black and gray
- 2 in black, gray and red
- 3 colorful
=> Inkblots have uneven ink patterns: used to describe texture and depth
Rorschach - Administration
1st phase = Free association phase
- Presents 10 carts one by one; what might this be?
2nd phase =** Inquiry phase**
- Examiner examines responses
What are the 2 categories of scoring for the Rorschach test?
- Informal: Interpretation of content
- Formal scoring: 5 dimensions
What’s the informal phase of scoring in the Rorschach test?
Interpretation of content
- E.g. odd uses of words; thematic patterns
- Examiner searches for anything that stands out
What are the formal scoring dimensions of Rorschach test? (5)
(1) Location: part of the inkblot the individual focuses on when giving their response (e.g., a whole blot, a specific detail)
(2) Determinant: specific feature or characteristic of the inkblot that influenced the person’s response
(3) Form quality: how well the respondent’s perception matches the actual shape or structure of the inkblot (the more closely the response fits the inkblot’s form, the better the form quality).
(4) Content: What the person sees in the inkblot
(5) Frequency of occurrence
(Formal testing of Rorschach): What’s in the “determinant” dimension? (4)
- Form
- Colour
- Texture
- Movement
Rorschach Scales/Variables (7)
-> ways of combining scores
- Control and Situational Stress (coping style, mental ability, types of stresses)
- Affective Features (emotional style)
- Interpersonal Perception (representation of others)
- Self-Perception (self-view)
- Information Processing (mental operation complexity)
- Cognitive Mediation (perception conventionality)
- Ideation (thinking quality, organization, style)
Rorschach Indices (6)
-> scores
- Perceptual Thinking Index (disturbed thinking and perceptions)
- Depression Index
- Coping Deficit Index (interpersonal and/or emotional deficits)
- Suicide constellation (risk)
- Hypervigilance index
- Obsessive style index (obsessive info processing)
Exner’s Comprehensive System
Aimed to replace the ancient representations of Rorshach (overcome divisions regarding Rorschach).
Tried to provide standardized norms.
Exner’s norms characteristics
- n = 700 adults (attempt to match 1970 US census)
- 56% women, 44% men
- Stratified to equally represent 5 geographic regions
- Partial stratification of SES (upper=.34, middle=.56, higher=.10)
Problem with Exner’s norms
Even with that - not representative
Rorschach reliability: Interrater reliability (Exner)
For determinants: 88-97%
Rorschach reliability: Internal consistency
“Not high”
- I.C. = across all blocks, coherent answers
- Bc each inkblot has diff properties, not good -> Inkblot are NOT parallel to each other
Rorschach reliability: Test-retest
Depends on studies:
- Meyer & Archer: 1 month= .50-.77
- Exner: 1y=.74-.91; 3y = .70-.87
Rorschach Validity: Criterion validity (compared to other tests)
Meta analyses:
- Rorchach: .27-.30
- MMPI: .23-.28
- WAIS: .32-.36
Which index of Rorschach has the most validity support?
Perceptual thinking index
Which index of Rorschach has a weak validity support?
Suicide Constellation
-> Little evidence supporting many scoring categories
Some successful forms of Rorschach predicts (2)
- Psychotherapy outcome
- Differentiate psychotic and non-psychotic patients
Rorschach ___ be score reliably
CAN
Biggest “cons” of Rorschach (5)
- Serious problem of norms
- Absence of a standardized method of administration
- Limits on validity evidence
- Time intensive
- Does the test give useful information?
