Influences of examiner differences on rorschach productivity in children

Rorschach test protocols for a matched sample of male and female subjects in the child and adolescent age range were scored for total responses. The data were analyzed for evidence of interactions between sex of experimenter and sex and age of subject. Consistent differences in total numbers of responses elicited by different examiners were identified. The productivity of both male and female subjects was found to be significantly more variable for male experimenters than for female experimenters. Alternative explanations for the results include greater structuring of the test situation by female experimenters or greater variability of behavior by male experimenters in relation to different subjects. That these explanations can also account for the sex interactions reported by others is recognized.