Projective Testing
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Christina Morgan and Henry Murray of Harvard University introduced TAT in 1935.
The difference between the Rorschach Test and the TAT is the TAT is more structured and less ambigious than the other one.
The examiner will present 30 ambiguous pictures to the person. Some subjects of these cards are designed for specific people: male and female, old and young. Only a few cards, such as Card 1, are appropriate for all. These pictures are usually scenes. The person is then told to use his imagination to tell whatever story that comes into his mind. The responses will then be scored to provide an idea of what the respondent's personality is like. Also, the time needed for responding will be recorded. If the person takes an exceptionally long time to react to on of the cards, it might mean that he is experiencing problems in the specific subject of the card
To let you get an idea of what these cards are like, here is a description of Card 1. in the scene, a boy is neatly dressed and groomed and is sitting at a table, where a volin lies. According to the interpretation of Bellak, an expert, Card 1 is meant to reveal a person's relationship towards parental figures.
The aim of the test is to reveal basic themes that happen frequently in the person's imagination and to aid evaluation of human personality characteristics, instead of being used as a test of disordered emotional states.
The TAT has been related towards achievements needs of aspects such as parental perceptions, parental expectations and parental attitudes towards offspring.
