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Related Experiment Videos

Assessing concrete and abstract thinking with the Draw-a-Person technique.

J L Gustafson1, C A Waehler

  • 1The University of Akron, OH 44325-4301, USA.

Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

The Draw-a-Person (DAP) technique shows potential for assessing abstract thinking in individuals. This nonverbal method correlated well with abstract thinking scores, offering a valuable alternative when verbal assessments are not feasible.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychological assessment
  • Cognitive psychology

Background:

  • The Draw-a-Person (DAP) technique is a widely used projective test.
  • Its utility in assessing cognitive functions like abstract thinking requires further validation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the Draw-a-Person (DAP) technique's effectiveness in measuring concrete/literal and abstract thinking.
  • To compare DAP-derived cognitive measures with established verbal assessments.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty participants (25 schizophrenic inpatients, 25 college students) were assessed.
  • Indicators of concrete/literal and abstract thinking were identified from DAP drawings.
  • The Proverbs Test was used as a criterion measure for cognitive abstraction.

Main Results:

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  • Composite DAP scores showed a significant positive correlation with Proverbs Test scores (r = .52, p < .01).
  • Abstract thinking scores from the DAP also correlated significantly with similar Proverbs Test scores (r = .54, p < .01).
  • Concrete/literal DAP scores did not significantly correlate with concrete/literal Proverbs Test scores (r = .20, p > .05).

Conclusions:

  • The Draw-a-Person (DAP) technique demonstrates potential as a nonverbal tool for assessing abstract thinking.
  • Further research may refine DAP indicators for concrete/literal thinking assessment.