Should human figure drawings be admitted into court?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Legal Psychology

Background:

• Human figure drawings are frequently used by clinicians for personality assessment.
• Debate exists regarding the scientific validity and admissibility of figure drawing interpretations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the admissibility of human figure drawings in legal settings.
• To assess figure drawing interpretation methods against forensic and legal standards.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Heilbrun's (1992) guidelines for psychological tests in forensic evaluations.
• Applied the Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1993) criteria for scientific evidence admissibility.
• Examined common interpretation methods for human figure drawings.

Main Results:

• Most common interpretation methods for human figure drawings do not meet admissibility standards.
• Overall rating scales demonstrate weak validity but may minimally satisfy admissibility criteria.

Conclusions:

• The scientific validity of common figure drawing interpretation methods is questionable for legal admissibility.
• Overall rating scales, despite limitations, present a potentially admissible approach in forensic evaluations.