Tests That Charlie

Took

fromFlowers for Algernon

Tests that Charlie Took

• The Ink Blot (Rorschach) Test

• Thematic Apperception Test

• Maze

Test 1

Ink Blot Test(Rorschach

Test)

Instructions

• You are about to see several ink blots one at a time. Write down on your paper the following information after seeing each ink blot:

1. What you see the first time you look. 2. What you see after studying it a while. 3. Your emotional response to it.

You will have one minute to respond to each blot.

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Definition• The Rorschach inkblot test is a method of

psychological evaluation. Psychologists use this test to try to examine the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of their patients. The Rorschach is currently the second most commonly used test in forensic assessment, after the MMPI, and is the second most widely used test by members of the Society for Personality Assessment. It has been employed in diagnosing underlying thought disorder and differentiating psychotic from nonpsychotic thinking in cases where the patient is reluctant to openly admit to psychotic thinking.

Blot Confidentiality

• The Rorschach ink blots are supposed to remain secret so as not to "pollute" the test population (people to whom the test is given to). The theory behind the test, created by Hermann Rorschach, is that the test taker's spontaneous or unrehearsed responses reveal deep secrets or significant information about the taker's personality or innermost thoughts.

Test Administration

• The test giver will rarely if ever give you any guidance; they will instead tell you that you're free to do whatever you like with the card (flip it, tilt it, lay it down, etc). About 50% of people who take the test do flip or rotate the cards, and the psychologist is supposed to note anything and everthing you do with them.

Taking the Test• In the standard test protocol you are given the cards one at a time in

a specific order, and the psychologist is supposed to place them directly in your hands facing "up" and in a particular orientation. The order is not supposed to vary. The genuine Rorschach cards are numbered on the back primarily for the psychologist's use. If you notice the numbers or remark on them, a note is supposed to be made about this. The cards themselves are large, about 6 3/4 by 9 inches and are made of a stiffened cardboard or, in modern variations, a textured plastic that mimics the feel of cardboard. Five of the cards have purely black and white images, two of the cards are black, white, and red, and the last three cards have various colors of ink used in the blots.

During the test the psychologist or psychiatrist will record everything you say; some use a tape recorder so they can extract more detailed notes later, after the test is over and you have left.

Response• Response Time

The time it takes you to provide a verbal response is carefully noted, along with any other secondary comments you may make. Hand gestures and some body movements may also be noted

• Your Responses According to some psychologists, stating "This is a..." constitutes a "bad" response. You are supposed to know that the cards don't actually represent any recognizable figures, so saying something like "This looks like ..." is considered a more "healthy" response.

Good or Bad Answers• What is a "good" answer versus a "bad" answer? Your best bet is probably

to stick to "seeing" healthy, friendly images. Avoid dark or violent answers ("I see Satan eating a baby's brain!"). Butterflies, people holding hands, leaves, mountains, etc are all generally considered to be "safe" responses. If you can show how a particular shape really does resemble something, go ahead and say so. If you come up with a novel or particularly interesting answer you may get "points" for your creativity.

• Don't try and be outlandish, provocative, obstinate, or oppositional- these won't curry any favor with the test giver (and will in fact typically count against you).

• Overly-sexualized answers or imagery will, as you might suspect, be noticed and generally scored against you.

• Taking an excessively long time to answer or answering immediately (not taking any time to ponder the card at all) will virtually always count against you. Just how much will be up to the examiner, but both ultra-quick responses as well as slow or "tardy" responses to the Rorschach cards are considered "bad".

• Test takers who pay attention to details rather than the overall images are scored down.

• People who paused before commenting on the colored cards (but not the black and white ones) are displaying "color shock,“ which is negative.

Shapes And Visualization

• Some psychologists feel that you should see a limited range of shapes or "items" in each particular card.

• Seeing radically different things than the typical responses or claiming to see nothing at all will definitely be held against you in terms of Rorschach scoring, and may result in a finding of "retardation" or a possible mental disorder.

• Seeing lots of different things in the card may also be taken as a sign of cognitive problems or even schizophrenia.

Movement and Color

• "Movement- and color-based responses were of paramount importance in Rorschach's system of weighing personality. He believed that test takers who offer a high number of movement ("M") responses are, paradoxically, turned inward or "introspective"; intelligent and creative, they are nonetheless awkward and socially inept. In contrast, subjects who favor color ("C") responses are "extrasensitive," or adroit in comapny but restless and impulsive. Someone who registers a high number of both M and C scores qualifies ad "dilated" or "ambiequal" -a healthy blending of introspective and extrasensitive traits. But low and similar numbers of M and C responses stigmatize the subject as "coarctive," or lacking in both creativity and emotional stability.

Test 2

Thematic Apperception

Test

InstructionsTell as dramatic a story as you can for each

picture, including:

1. what has led up to the event shown

2. what is happening at the moment

3. what the characters are feeling and thinking

4. what the outcome of the story is.

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Definition• The Thematic Apperception Test is an

example of a projective test.• Historically, the Thematic Apperception Test

or TAT has been amongst the most widely used, researched, and taught projective psychological tests. Its adherents claim that it taps a subject's unconscious to reveal repressed aspects of personality, motives and needs for achievement, power and intimacy, and problem-solving abilities.

Actual Test

Administration of the Test

• The 30 cards are meant to be divided into two "series" of 15 pictures each, with the pictures of the second series being purposely more unusual, dramatic, and bizarre than those of the first. Suggested administration involves one full hour being devoted to a series, with the two sessions being separated by a day or more.

Test 3

Mazes

Instructions

• Complete the mazes supplied by your teacher.

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Solution to Maze 1

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Solution to Maze 2

Projects:Choose one of the following projects to

make:

1. A sample ink blot test 2. A sample Thematic

Apperception Test

3. A 3-D maze

Project 1: Ink Blot Test

• Use seven, white,10x13 sized cards.• On the first card, put “Ink Blot Test by ______”.• On the second card, write the instructions.• On the other five cards, make a large ink blot.• Use black paint.• Put the paint in the middle of the card, and then

fold the card over on itself so that it creates a mirrored image. Do not TRY to make a certain picture.

• Present the test to the class.

Project 2: Thematic

Apperception Test• Use seven, white, 10x13 sized cards.• On the first card, write “Thematic

Apperception Test by __________”.• On the second card, write the instructions.• On the other five cards, put one 8 1/2 x11,

up-dated picture that elicits a strong emotional reaction and that could easily have multiple stories explaining the content of the picture.

Project 3: A 3-D Maze

• Make a 3-D maze out of wood or some other material that will be sturdy and last.

• It should be the size of a half sheet of poster board. However, do not build it on poster board; instead, build it on thick cardboard or wood, so that it will withstand the weight of the maze.

• Include a solution to the maze.