What do projective tests try to measure




















The MMPI-2 takes 1—2 hours to complete. There is also a scale for ascertaining risk factors for alcohol abuse. This version takes about one-half the time to complete and has only questions. The 16PF can also used be used by psychologists and other mental health professionals as a clinical instrument to help diagnose psychiatric disorders and help with prognosis and therapy planning. It provides clinicians with a normal-range measurement of anxiety, adjustment, emotional stability, and behavioral problems.

It can also be used within other areas of psychology, such as career and occupational selection. Two of the most popular projective measures are the Thematic Apperception Measure and the Rorschach test.

The advantage of projective measures is that they purportedly expose certain aspects of personality that are impossible to measure by means of an objective test; for instance, they are more reliable at uncovering unconscious personality traits or features.

However, they are criticized for having poor reliability and validity, lacking scientific evidence, and relying too much on the subjective judgment of a clinician. The Rorchach test consists of ten inkblots, which were created by Herman Rorschach dribbling ink on paper and then folding over the paper to create a symmetrical design.

During the test, participants are shown the inkblots and asked what each one looks like. The test administrator then asks questions about the responses, such as which part of the inkblot was linked to each response.

Simulated inkblot : This simulated inkblot is similar to those that make up the Rorschach test; a Rorschach inkblot would be filled in rather than a dotted pattern. Test-takers are asked to tell a story about each picture, including the background that led up to the story and the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Not all personality measures are created equal. When it comes to examining the validity and reliability of personality measures, some have better psychometric properties than others.

Validity refers to whether or not a test actually measures the construct that it is meant to measure; reliability refers to the degree to which a test produces stable and consistent results.

Because of this, objective tests are said to have more validity than projective tests. The challenge of objective tests, however, is that they are subject to the willingness and ability of the respondents to be open, honest, and self-reflective enough to represent and report their true personality; this limits their reliability. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory MMPI attempts to account for these weaknesses by including validity and reliability scales in addition to its clinical scales.

Beutler, Nussbaum, and Meredith gave the MMPI to newly recruited police officers and then to the same police officers two years later.

When the test was given an additional two years later four years after starting on the job , the results suggested high risk for alcohol-related difficulties. For a clinical population, this information can reveal what is normative for that particular population; however it limits the usage and application to other nonclinical populations.

The MMPI-2 used a normative sample from within the general population that was thought to be representative of all major demographic variables, expanding its applicability. Many objective personality measures were created after years of research, such as the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.

Eysenck spent many years working with factor analysis and conducting countless laboratory experiments. The result is that the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire has excellent reliability and validity. Additionally, there is a large body of research that demonstrates the practical uses of the Eysenck measure. Projective measures like the Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Thematic Apperception Test have been criticized for having poor reliability and validity, for lacking scientific evidence, and for relying too much on the subjective judgment of a clinician.

Some projective tests, like the Rorschach, have undergone standardization procedures so they can be relatively effective in measuring depression, psychosis, and anxiety. In the Thematic Apperception Test, however, which involves open-ended storytelling, standardization of test administration is virtually nonexistent, making the test relatively low on validity and reliability. Projective tests are often considered best used for informational purposes only, and not as a true measure of personality.

For many decades, traditional projective tests have been used in cross-cultural personality assessments. However, it was found that test bias limited their usefulness. Astrological signs : Horoscopes are often endorsed because of the Forer effect.

The generalized nature of the descriptions allows for a large number of individuals to believe that they are accurate. One problem with personality measures is that individuals have a tendency to endorse vague generalizations. This is one reason why horoscopes continue to be popular and trusted despite their lack of reliability or validity.

In , Bertram Forer gave a personality inventory to his students in which he gave them each what he claimed was a unique personality profile, and he asked the students to rate how well the profile applied to each of them. The test does not depend on the verbal details of the person who is getting tested. The results are confirmed on the basis of what the person tells spontaneously while conducting the tests.

In simpler words, one can definitely understand actual personal behavior. Therefore, it is one of the most non-verbal communications wherein which people present their nonverbal communication and that might depend upon behavior, reaction and attitude. This study understands all the results of personality reactions.

And most importantly, all the motivations, beliefs and attitudes are detectable quickly. And that is why bringing motivational barriers can increase the stake of this projective test hypothesis high. There are various types of projective tests which are carried out on the individuals depending upon the needs of the person.

The Rorschach inkblot test is very frequently used by the experts for the purpose of projective tests. In this test, there are various inkblots which are plotted symmetrically, but in an irregular position.

The person is then asked what they are seeing in these blots. They get various responses from this test — the response is then analyzed keeping in mind various parameters.

The experts check what time was taken to respond, what the person said about the inkblots, which was the most important aspect that was touched upon. If the respondent sees fearful images, then they assume that the person is suffering from paranoia. The Holtzman test is a variation of the Rorschach test. Here the images used for the respondent is much more as compared to the above test.

The major difference between the two tests is that in this particular test the objective scoring is more important — the experts actually check the reaction time of the individual during the inkblot test.

This test is another well-known test — it is more popularly known as the TAT test. In this type of test, the individual is asked to look at various scenes which are ambiguous. The respondent is given time to analyze the scenes and also to understand different aspects of the picture or scene.

The respondent will be asked to provide information about what type of a picture is shown — what are the characters present; what are the emotions present in these characters or you can also ask what will happen further.

The experts check these responses and come to a conclusion and thus understand the frame of mind of the person. It has been proved by various studies that the handwriting of a person can reveal many things. Graphology is a skill of handwriting through which the experts can understand your nature and physical characteristics.

When the respondents write, the experts can easily understand the state of mind in which the person is at present; besides this, they can also analyze the personality traits of the person. Even though there have been many controversies about graphology it is still used for projective tests and they have positive results.

This test as the name suggests needs the respondent to complete certain sentences. This has to be done in their own words — when the respondent completes the sentences it reveals the conscious and unconscious attitudes of the person, beliefs, and motivation. The person could be in any state of mind while completing the sentences — this will show in this test — thus providing the expertise to evaluate the nature and state of mind of the person.

This projective test completely depends upon your imagination. As the name goes, here you need to draw a person, and that image is then analyzed by the test interpreter. The examiner by analyzing the image looks for a few factors like,. As per the examiner, it is the image that helps you understand the psychological condition of the person who had undergone the test.

But as this test is also considered one which lacks validity, many disagree to the point of psychological tendencies and instead believe that the person has poor drawing skills. This test was developed by John Buck and it comprises of a set of 60 questions to ask the respondent.

The test interpreter can also add some of his questions during the test. In this house-tree-person, the candidate is said to draw a picture of a house, tree and a person.

After completion of the drawing, the examiner asks a few questions to the respondent and they analyze the answers given. Though these projective tests are developed for understanding human behavior and emotions, not many people completely agree with its outcomes. Despite the fact that there are many kinds of limitations to these projective tests, they are still used by many psychiatrists and psychologists. Also, many experts who work on these projective tests are working on updating these tests such that they not only provide validity but also add some value.

Projective tests are also been used in market research to evaluate the emotions, associations, and thought processes related to the brand and products. Many projective tests have undergone standardization procedures for example, Exner, and can be used to access whether someone has unusual thoughts or a high level of anxiety, or is likely to become volatile. Projective tests are more time consuming for the evaluator than self-report inventories.

If an evaluator scores the Rorschach using the Exner scoring system, the test is considered a valid and reliable measure. However, the validity of the other projective tests is questionable, and the results are often not usable for court cases Goldstein, n. It is a series of symmetrical inkblot cards that are presented to a client by a psychologist. The Rorschach has been standardized using the Exner system and is effective in measuring depression, psychosis, and anxiety.

A person taking the TAT is shown 8—12 ambiguous pictures and is asked to tell a story about each picture. The stories give insight into their social world, revealing hopes, fears, interests, and goals. The TAT has been used in clinical settings to evaluate psychological disorders; more recently, it has been used in counseling settings to help clients gain a better understanding of themselves and achieve personal growth.

Despite these shortcomings, the TAT has been one of the most widely used projective tests. Figure 3. There are three forms of this test for use with different age groups: the school form, the college form, and the adult form.

The tests include 40 incomplete sentences that people are asked to complete as quickly as possible Figure 3. The average time for completing the test is approximately 20 minutes, as responses are only 1—2 words in length. This test is similar to a word association test, and like other types of projective tests, it is presumed that responses will reveal desires, fears, and struggles.

Figure 4. These incomplete sentences resemble the types of questions on the RISB. How would you complete these sentences? For many decades, these traditional projective tests have been used in cross-cultural personality assessments.

For example, when the TAT was used with African-American test takers, the result was often shorter story length and low levels of cultural identification Duzant, Watch this CrashCourse video to better understand how personality is measured:. Improve this page Learn More.



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