Issues and Methods in Rorschach Research

Any research that involves the use of the Rorschach or focuses on the nature of the Rorschach must be framed in the context of the basic principles that mark any scientific investigation. However, most texts concerning research design or data analysis do not deal directly with many of the unusual issues that confront investigators who use the Rorschach in their research. The nature of the test and test procedures are somewhat different than for most psychological tests, and, often, these special characteristics become critical when research designs are formulated. Similarly, some of the data of the tests are quite different from the customary distributions yielded by other psychological tests. Thus special care must be exercised when considering the variety of tactics that might might be used in analyzing the test data. This text is unique in that it is specific to the Rorschach. Bringing together experts on Rorschach research, this volume presents in-depth treatments of every facet of methodology -- from design to analysis -- as well as more conceptual issues. It is designed to aid investigators in contending effectively with the many difficult challenges that are often encountered in Rorschach research. This work adds to the information already available to the accomplished researcher as well as provide some enlightenment for the Rorschach research novice. It dispels the notion that rote methodology or analyses can be applied routinely to studies involving the Rorschach. And it helps to improve the quality of investigations in which the test is included, and contribute in some way to the improvement of the overall research yield in the Rorschach community.

Any research that involves the use of the Rorschach or focuses on the nature of the Rorschach must be framed in the context of the basic principles that mark any scientific investigation. However, most texts concerning research design or data analysis do not deal directly with many of the unusual issues that confront investigators who use the Rorschach in their research. The nature of the test and test procedures are somewhat different than for most psychological tests, and, often, these special characteristics become critical when research designs are formulated. Similarly, some of the data of the tests are quite different from the customary distributions yielded by other psychological tests. Thus special care must be exercised when considering the variety of tactics that might might be used in analyzing the test data.

This text is unique in that it is specific to the Rorschach. Bringing together experts on Rorschach research, this volume presents in-depth treatments of every facet of methodology -- from design to analysis -- as well as more conceptual issues. It is designed to aid investigators in contending effectively with the many difficult challenges that are often encountered in Rorschach research.

This work adds to the information already available to the accomplished researcher as well as provide some enlightenment for the Rorschach research novice. It dispels the notion that rote methodology or analyses can be applied routinely to studies involving the Rorschach. And it helps to improve the quality of investigations in which the test is included, and contribute in some way to the improvement of the overall research yield in the Rorschach community.