THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-CONCEPT AND THE DRAW-A-PERSON TEST

WILLIAM SCHAEFER

Eastern Illinois University

PROBLEM Prior research by Kamano(’) with a group of schizophrenic Ss demonstrated

a relationship between self-concept and human figure drawings. The present study examined the nature of this relationship for a normal population and evaluated the consistency of clinical interpretations.

To evaluate the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP) as a personality measure, three hypotheses were derived: It was predicted that Ss would rate themselves and their drawings similarly on a semantic scale. Interjudge reliability was expected in the use of this scale to rate the drawings. Because projective tests are believed to reveal undisclosed aspects of personality function, it was hypothesized that judges and Ss would not agree in their ratings of the Ss’ drawings.

METHOD The Ss were students (age range between 18 and 20) randomly

selected from an introductory psychology course that was assumed to be repre- sentative of a normal college population.

Tests. The DAP test was administered, with an accepted modification. The Ss were instructed to draw a person of their own sex; Osgood’s Semantic Differ- ential(2) was used to rate the drawings. The 15 bipolar scales used in Kamano(l) were also employed. These included: 5 for the potency factor (e.g., large-small); 4 for the activity factor (e .g . , active-passive); and 6 for the evaluative factor (e.g. , healthy-sick) .

Procedure. The Ss were not told the nature of the experiment, but were asked to participate during their usual classroom session. The instructions were printed and also read aloud, and Ss were asked to draw a person of their own sex. Upon completion, the Ss were asked to rate the drawings with the Semantic Differential. To avoid carry-over, the Ss then were asked to rate a famous person. A second test administration occurred the following week, at which time the Ss were instructed to rate themselves on the same scale.

Three judges were given the drawings independently and were told to rate them with the same 15 bipolar scales.

Subjects.

~ ~ E S U L T S AND DISCUSSION Spearman rank analysis was used to determine significance ( p < .Ol). Each

factor of the Semantic Differential was analyzed. The potency factor correlated significantly (238; p < .Ol) between the Ss’ ratings of the drawings and themselves. The evaluative and activity factors, although positively correlated, were not significant.

Interjudge comparisons were significant for the potency factor: the correlation between judges one and two was .74 ( p < .Ol), between judges one and three .66 ( p < .Ol), and between judges two and three .69 ( p < .Ol). Significance was required to average the ratings meaningfully. The averaged score of the judges on the potency factor was compared to the Ss’ analyses of the drawings. In contrast to the predicted outcome, the correlation was significant (. 55; p < .01).

The results lend additional support for the DAP as a measure of self-concept. Although the Ss were college students, it appears likely that future research will confirm use of the DAP for the general population.

Significantly, for the continued use of the DAP as a personality measure, there was interjudge reliability for the potency factor. However, the present study did not support the use of the DAP as a projective test.

136 WILLIAM SCHAEFER

SUMMARY This study sought to expand work by Kamano (I) , who used the Draw-A-Person

Test in conjunction with the Semantic Differential and concluded that Ss (schizo- phrenics) analyzed their drawings consistent with their self-concepts. The present study used 20 members of an introductory psychology class as 8s. The relation between Ss’ ratings of the DAP, their self-concept, and judges’ ratings of the drawings was sought. The prediction that Ss would rate themselves and the drawings similarly was upheld for the potency factor. There was interjudge relia- bility for this factor. The prediction that there would be a difference between judges’ and Ss’ ratings was not supported.

REFERENCES 1.

2. Osaooo, C. E. The Measurement of 2Meunieg. Urbana: University of IIlinois Press, 1957.

KAMANO, D. K. An investigation of the meaning of human figure drawing. J . clzn. Psychol., 1960, 16, 429-430.

THE RELATION OF RESPONSE LENGTH TO THE HOLTZMAN INKBLOT TECHNIQUE:

AN EXTENSION’ ALEX DARBES AND BERT HAYSLIP, JR.

The University of Akron

PROBLEM Challenged by the difficulties that arise from the varying number of responses

obtained from 10 Rorschach cards, Holtzman, Thorpe, Swartz, and Herron (’) controlled for this response productivity factor (R) by restricting each S to a single response per card. They also increased the number of cards to 45 arid develop- ed more standardized scoring criteria in an attempt to make the Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT) a psychometric improvement upon the Rorschach.

Many researchers have used experimental variations of the HIT to investigate the relationship of word productivity to HIT scores. Hamilton and Robertson (2 )

found word productivity to be influenced by the examiner’s behavior (“warm” us. “cold”). Megargee, Lockwood, Cato, and Jones@) found contradictory results with respect to examiner and tone of administration.

Megargee@) found word productivity (RL) to correlate significantly with scores of Movement, Anxiety, Hostility, and Barrier in juvenile delinquent and college samples. Megargee also presented factor analytic and ANOVA evidence to support his correlations and concluded RL or “verbosity” to be a significant influence on patterns of HIT scores.

The impetus for the present study came from an investigation by Hayslip and Darbes(8). This research suggests that one response per card may be mis- leading and that additional responses may be necessary to represent accurately a S with the HIT. Ss were asked to give as many responses as they were able to each of 45 form A HIT cards. Correlations between scores based on each of five responses in terms of 19 HIT variables were of a decreasing nature as each succeeding response was added, which suggests that different and thus additional qualitative information may be obtained from the HIT when Ss are not limited to their first response per card.

‘Paper presented at the 81st Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Montreal, August 1973.