What type of personality test involves the interpretation of an ambiguous image?
Projective Tests Show
A projective test is a type of personality assessment that examines an individual’s responses to ambiguous stimuli. Associated with psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theories, projective tests are believed to reveal a person’s unconscious thoughts or emotions as related to the test stimuli; these responses are in turn thought to be connected to the individual’s personality and psychological makeup. Projective tests are analyzed for meaning based entirely on the open-ended responses given by individuals, as opposed to other types of psychological tests, including self-report assessments, whose response options are shaped by and compared to a more limited and universal standard of meaning. Most commonly administered in clinical settings, projective tests are also used in schools to determine levels of behavioral and socioemotional functioning in student populations. This ...  locked icon Sign in to access this contentSign in Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL
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How Projective Tests Are Used to Measure PersonalityBy Dr. Saul McLeod, published 2009 To avoid the problem of social desirability, various indirect measures of attitudes have been used. Either people are unaware of what is being measured (which has ethical problems) or they are unable consciously to affect what is being measured. Indirect methods typically involve the use of a projective test. A projective test is involves presenting a person with an ambiguous (i.e. unclear) or incomplete stimulus (e.g. picture or words). The stimulus requires interpretation from the person. Therefore, the person’s attitude is inferred from their interpretation of the ambiguous or incomplete stimulus. The assumption about these measures of attitudes it that the person will “project” his or her views, opinions or attitudes into the ambiguous situation, thus revealing the attitudes the person holds. However, projective tests only provide general information and do not offer a precise measurement of attitude strength since it is qualitative rather than quantitative. This method of attitude measurement is not objective or scientific which is a big criticism. Examples of projective techniques include:
Thematic Apperception TestHere a person is presented with an ambiguous picture which they have to interpret. The thematic apperception test (TAT) taps into a person’s unconscious mind to reveal the repressed aspects of their personality. Although
the picture, illustration, drawing or cartoon that is used must be interesting enough to encourage discussion, it should be vague enough not to immediately give away what the project is about. TAT can be used in a variety of ways, from eliciting qualities associated with different products to perceptions about the kind of people that might use certain products or services. The person must look at the picture(s) and tell a story. For example:
Draw a Person TestFigure drawings are projective diagnostic techniques in which an individual is instructed to draw a person, an object, or a situation so that cognitive, interpersonal, or psychological functioning can be assessed. The test can be used to evaluate children and adolescents for a variety of purposes (e.g. self-image, family relationships, cognitive ability and personality). A projective test is one in which a test taker responds to or provides ambiguous, abstract, or unstructured stimuli, often in the form of pictures or drawings. While other projective tests, such as the
Rorschach Technique and Thematic Apperception Test, ask the test taker to interpret existing pictures, figure drawing tests require the test taker to create the pictures themselves. In most cases, figure drawing tests are given to children. This is because it is a simple, manageable task that children can relate to and enjoy. Some figure drawing tests are primarily measures of cognitive abilities or cognitive development. In these tests, there is a consideration of how well a child draws and the content of a child's drawing. In some tests, the child's self-image is considered through the use of the drawings. In other figure drawing tests, interpersonal relationships are assessed by having the child draw a family or some other situation in which more than one person is present. Some tests are used for the evaluation of child abuse. Other tests involve personality interpretation through drawings of objects, such as a tree or a house, as well as people. Finally, some figure drawing tests are used as part of the diagnostic procedure for specific types of psychological or neuropsychological impairment, such as central nervous system dysfunction or
mental retardation. Despite the flexibility in administration and interpretation of figure drawings, these tests require skilled and trained administrators familiar with both the theory behind the tests and the structure of the tests themselves. Interpretations should be made with caution and the limitations of projective tests should be considered. It is generally a good idea to use projective tests as part of an overall test battery. There is little professional support for the use of figure drawing, so the examples that follow should be interpreted with caution. The House-Tree-Person (HTP) test (Buck, 1948) provides a measure of a self-perception and attitudes by requiring the test taker to draw a house, a tree, and a person.
The HTP, though mostly given to children and adolescents, is appropriate for anyone over the age of three. Evaluation of Projective TestsThe major criticism of projective techniquesis their lack of objectivity. Such methods are unscientific and do not objectively measure attitudes in the same way as a Likert scale. There is also the ethical problem of deception as often the person does not know that their attitude is actually being studied when using projective techniques. The advantages of such projective techniques of attitude measurement are that they are less likely to produce socially desirable responses, the person is unlikely to guess what is being measured and behavior should be natural and reliable. APA Style ReferencesBuck, J. N. (1948). The HTP test. Journal of Clinical psychology. Osgood, C.E, Suci, G., & Tannenbaum, P. (1957). The Measurement of Meaning. University of Illinois Press, 1 Keep Learning Piotrowski, C. (2015). On the decline of projective techniques in professional psychology training. North American Journal of Psychology, 17(2). Imuta, K., Scarf, D., Pharo, H., & Hayne, H. (2013). Drawing a Close to the Use of Human Figure Drawings as a Projective Measure of Intelligence. PLoS ONE, 8(3). How to reference this article:How to reference this article:McLeod, S. A. (2018, October 24). How Projective Tests Are Used to Measure Personality. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-a-projective-test-.html Home | About Us | Privacy Policy | Advertise | Contact Us Simply Psychology's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. © Simply Scholar Ltd - All rights reserved What type of personality test involves the interpreting of an ambiguous image is used to assess unconscious motives and conflicts?projective test A type of personality test that involves a person's interpreting an ambiguous image; used to assess unconscious motives, conflicts, psychological defenses, and personality traits.
Which test of personality has the individual interpret an ambiguous image?The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) uses a series of ambiguous pictures of people in different situations to which the viewer ascribes meaning. The descriptions given are a reflection of the viewer's anxieties, personal conflicts, and interpersonal relationships.
What type of personality test involves the interpretation of an ambiguous image quizlet?a projective personality test that involves creating stories about each of a series of ambiguous scenes. A type of psychological test in which a person's responses to standardized questions are compared to established norms.
What personality tests use ambiguous stimuli?In psychology, a projective test is a personality test designed to let a person respond to ambiguous stimuli, presumably revealing hidden emotions and internal conflicts projected by the person into the test.
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