Advancing the science of psychological assessment: The Rorschach Inkblot Method as exemplar.

This article comments on a series of 5 articles, concerning the utility of the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RTM; R. M. Dawes, see record 1999-11130-006; J. Hiller et al, see record 1999-11130-005; J. Hunsley and J. M. Bailey, see record 1999-11130-004; G. Stricker and J. R. Gold, see record 1999-11130-002; and D. J. Vigilone, see record 1999-11130-003). Two of the articles provide extensive empirical evidence that the RIM has been standardized, normed, made reliable, and validated in ways that exemplify sound scientific principles for developing an assessment instrument. A 3rd article reports a meta-analysis, indicating that the RIM and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory have almost identical validity effect sizes, both large enough to warrant confidence in using these measures. The other 2 articles adduce sketchy data and incomplete literature reviews as a basis for questioning the psychometric soundness of Rorschach assessment. Unwarranted skepticism should not be given credence as an adequate platform from which to challenge abundant evidence that the RIM works very well for its intended purposes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance of Personality Assessment Inventory and Rorschach Indices of Schizophrenia in a Public Psychiatric Hospital.

The present study investigated the performance of indices of schizophrenia from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-SCZ; L. C. Morey, 1991) and Rorschach (Rorschach SCZI; J. E. Exner, 1993) in a heterogeneous sample of 24 inpatients at a public psychiatric hospital in the southeastern United States. Results indicated modest agreement between the PAI-SCZ and Rorschach SCZI. More important, the PAI-SCZ but not Rorschach SCZI reliably differentiated inpatients with schizophrenic-spectrum diagnoses from inpatients with other psychiatric diagnoses. In settings in which psychotic disorders falling outside the schizophrenic spectrum are common, the PAI-SCZ may be better suited than the Rorschach SCZI to aid in the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"MMPI and Rorschach: Three decades of research": A time series reanalysis.

Reanalyzed the results concerning the yearly analysis of references to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Rorschach test in Psychological Abstracts from 1950 to 1985 obtained by J. Polyson et al (see record 1987-02840-001), using the auto-regressive integrated moving average model. Findings of the reanalysis reveal a problem with the Polyson et al study, because the sample data did not meet the assumptions of the inferential procedures associated with the t-test and Pearson product-moment r. It is maintained that the number of publications in a given year for either measure did not influence the number of publications for the other measure in any subsequent year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The clinical interaction: With special reference to the Rorschach.

Reviews the book "The clinical interaction: With special reference to the Rorschach," by Seymour B. Sarason (see record 1955-00896-000). Clinical psychologists who use the Rorschach technique have been sorely criticized by their more experimentally oriented colleagues for failing to take into account the numerous Rorschach research studies. The use of the Rorschach as a psychodiagnostic instrument still seems to be based upon the original, preexperimental statements of Rorschach and some of his disciples, with little or no attention paid to those investigations that have attempted to validate such statements. Sarason's effort to handle this problem of integrating research findings with the clinical use of the Rorschach will help answer these criticisms and will bring the Rorschach closer to the main body of contemporary empirical psychology. The author's pro-Rorschach bias occasionally leads him to conclusions that others might find unacceptable. This bias is clearly seen in the treatment of the Rorschach indices of performance under stress. Despite the criticisms, the present volume represents a significant contribution to the literature of the Rorschach and general clinical psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rorschach and TAT indices of homosexuality in overt homosexuals, neurotics, and normal males.

Rorschach and TAT protocols of 20 male overt homosexuals, 20 male neurotics, and 20 normal male students were compared in order to determine whether proposed homosexual signs were discriminative. The homosexual group gave a significantly greater mean number of the Rorschach and TAT signs than did either nonhomosexual group. "Within the homosexual group, correlation between the number of Rorschach signs and number of TAT signs produced by each S proved significant, serving as a check on the validity of both schemes and indicating the consistency of these 2 diverse measures of homosexuality." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in the News.

Journal item presents brief synopses of and comments on instances of psychology's use in daily life. These include: the parodies use of the Rorschach inkblots in a television commercial, a psychology-hostile editorial in the journal "Packaging Parade", an article by Marion K. Saunders for the December 1958 issue of "Harpers" entitled "Mutiny on the Bountiful" that focuses mainly on fundraising for research in the medical fields, the magazine "State of Mind" published by is published by CIBA for physicians who are interested in the emotional and psychiatric aspects of medicine, and "The American Weekly" publishing of a story about a psychological "treasure" found in an attic--the treasure turned out to be a set of 179 freshmen scores achieved on an intelligence test in 1919. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of improvement in treated and untreated patients using the Rorschach prognostic rating scale.

An attempt was made to evaluate the predictive validity for improvement of the Rorschach Prognostic Rating Scale (RPRS) and the MMPI. A group of untreated psychiatric outpatients (N = 40) and a group of outpatients treated with psychotherapy (N = 21) were given the Rorschach and MMPI before their assignment to the treatment or waiting list groups. After a waiting or treatment period of approximately 6 mo., each patient was clinically rated as improved or unimproved. The RPRS was significantly (p     

An experimental manipulation of Rorschach form: The effect of making indistinct the ambiguous.

Systematic variations of the stimulus properties of the Rorschach inkblots are relatively rare. In this study, form was altered by projecting slides of the blots out of focus. Since this blurring more or less duplicated the situation to be expected in some types of poor vision, there are practical implications; to make the application to the clinic as direct as possible within the limitations of the experimental design, the degree of blurring was adjusted to that associated with a commonly encountered level of defective eyesight. In an otherwise standard group-administration procedure, every other slide was presented out of focus, the even numbered to 1 group of 20 Ss, the odd to another. Marked changes occurred in location, P, F%, F + %, and other, nonform determinants. The magnitude and importance of these changes lead to the caution that the Rorschach might well be preceded by a test of visual acuity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of the Rorschach in predicting movement in psychiatric casework.

50 women were administered psychological tests at the time their children were institutionalized for emotional disturbances. Utilizing objective Rorschach signs, psychologists predicted which women would show movement in psychiatric casework. Highly significant agreement was found between the predictions and the actual outcomes of casework based on Hunt-Kogan ratings of movement following at least 1 yr. of casework. It was concluded that this method of using Rorschach data possesses considerable research utility, and that further investigation with these procedures may eventually contribute to increased efficiency in use of clinical facilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of Perceptual Maturity Scale using figure preferences.

An attempt to develop a brief, objectively scored Perceptual Maturity Scale (PMS) to measure attributes similar to Rorschach genetic maturity scores is described. The PMS contains 72 paired items from the Welsh Figure Preference Test. Item analysis of child versus adult preferences was the basis of scale construction. Reliability is .90. Construct validity was shown by a positive relationship between PMS scores and chronological age from age 7 to adulthood. Using such criteria as teachers' ratings, psychiatric institutional status, and questionnaire scores, groups displaying behavioral immaturity obtained significantly lower PMS scores than matched age controls. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)