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Projective Assessment Techniques

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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development

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Synonyms

Performance-based assessment; Personality assessment; Projectives

Definition

A broad category of psychological tests and techniques designed to measure aspects of personality and emotional functioning.

Description

Projective assessments include such diverse tools as the Rorschach Inkblot Test, Thematic Apperception Test, Roberts-2, story telling, figure drawings, and sentence completion tasks. Many contemporary assessment researchers prefer the term “performance-based assessment” in order to more accurately capture the nature of the task. Although there is a wide array of projective tests and techniques available, they are similar in so far as they require a patient to respond to some type of open-ended prompt, cue, or stimulus. Projectives are quite commonly used by clinical and school psychologists to assess their child and adolescent clients’ personality style, feelings, cognitive processes, emotional distress, and global psychological functioning [1, 2].

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References

  1. Archer, R. P., & Newsom, C. R. (2000). Psychological test usage with adolescent clients: Survey update. Assessment, 7, 227–235.

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  2. Cashel, M. L. (2002). Child and adolescent psychological assessment: Current clinical practice and the impact of managed care. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 446–453.

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  3. Exner, J. E. (2003). The Rorschach: A comprehensive system (4th ed.). New York: Wiley.

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  4. Roberts, G. E., & Gruber, C. P. (2005). Roberts-2 manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

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  5. Wagner, E. E., Rasch, M. A., & Marsico, D. S. (1991). Hand Test manual supplement: Interpreting child and adolescent responses. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California, 1110 Phelps Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Steven R. Smith

Authors
  1. Steven R. Smith
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Smith, S.R. (2011). Projective Assessment Techniques. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2269

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2269

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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