In the category of Assessment and Testing on the National Counselor Examination (NCE), the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), or another counseling exam, having an idea of what projective tests are could be helpful.
In this video, we discuss what a projective test is, and various types of projective tests. This includes association, completion, and construction projective tests. Not only that, but we cover some of the weaknesses of projective tests.
What are projective tests? When it comes to psychological testing, projective assessments are one type of test that can be given. With a projective test, the client is shown or given something neutral, and the idea is that they will then project something onto that which can help us gain insight into the client. Specifically, a client’s unconscious is often thought to be projected onto the test. Since projective tests are thought to help us see the unconscious, they are a more psychodynamic approach. They are also often used to assess personality.
What are association projective tests? One type of projective test is an association projective test, which would be like asking a client what they make of an inkblot. An inkblot, of course, is referring to perhaps some of the most well-known psychological assessments, the Rorschach inkblot. The person is shown the inkblot and their response is then recorded. There are ten total inkblots, and how these are scored varies based on the scoring system used.
What are completion projective tests? A second type is completion projective tests. These are where the person is asked to complete the sentence. Another well-known projective test is the Thematic Apperception Test. With this, people are shown scenes and are asked information about it. One thing they may be asked is what will happen in this scene, or how it ends.
What are construction projective tests? A third type of test, construction projective tests ask the person to create something. An example might be the Draw-A-Person Test. In this case, the person is asked to draw a person. The examiner will then interpret the drawing. Interpretation will often take into account the size of various body parts, the amount of detail, or features that are included.
What is the most prominent weakness or criticism of projective tests? There are many weaknesses and criticisms that projective tests carry. One of the most prominent is that they lack validity and reliability. This means that projective tests are not always measuring what they’re trying to measure. Additionally, how these tests are interpreted varies from one examiner to another, and can change based on when they are done. Check out my previous video on validity and reliability to learn more about these concepts!
Is subjectivity a weakness of projective tests? Yes. Because projective tests are so subjective, how they are interpreted can vary based on many factors. The mood of the examiner, the setting where it’s taking place, the person giving the responses—these can all play a role in how they are scored or interpreted. However, this high level of subjectivity can easily lead to variations in the results, which is a weakness of projective tests.
Can projective tests be standardized? Projective tests also have the disadvantage of not being able to be standardized. An advantage of these tests is that they are flexible and allow people to give an endless variety of responses. However, this makes creating a scoring system difficult, if not impossible.
Are there additional weaknesses of projective tests? Additionally, projective tests may be more prone to bias based on differences in culture or other differences between the examiner and test taker. Projective tests were once critical in practice in psychology, with a main reason for this being that test takers can’t figure out what the right, best, or perfect answer is. This makes it harder to hide things about themselves, or fake it on the test. However, due to these criticisms—specifically the lack of validity and reliability—they are now being questioned more.
