Construct validity of the Holtzman Inkblot Anxiety and Hostility scores

The group version of the Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT), the IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (ASQ), the Manifest Hostility Scale (MHS), and the Hand Test (HT) were administered to 72 college subjects in an attempt to clarify the nature of the HIT Anxiety (Ax) and Hostility (Hs) scores. The Ax score was found to correlate significantly with the ASQ total score which represents both overt and covert anxiety. The Hs score was found to correlate significantly with the MHS, which is sensitive to moderate levels of verbal hostility, but not with the HT Acting Out Ratio (AOR), which is strictly a measure of overt aggressiveness. The HIT Ax and Hs scores were concluded to relate most closely with measures that encompass a wide spectrum of the variable in question.