Accessible image analysis for art assessment

Abstract

Until now, art therapists relied on manual ratings for instruments such as the Face Stimulus Assessment, which is a series of stimulus drawings used to garner projective information from clients [FSA, Betts, 2003; Hamilton, M. K. (2008). Developing a standardized rating system for the Face Stimulus Assessment ( FSA) using nine scales adapted from the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale ( FEATS). Unpublished master's thesis, Avila University, Kansas City, MO]. The current study outlines several image analysis techniques intended to complement interpretive analysis through demonstrating public domain image analysis software (PDIAS) capabilities adapted for measuring formal elements [Gantt, L., & Tabone, C. (1998). The formal elements art therapy scale. Morgantown, WV: Gargoyle Press]. An FSA drawing completed by an individual formally diagnosed with schizophrenia serves as the model. This study also extends manual [Gantt, L., & Tabone, C. (1998). The formal elements art therapy scale. Morgantown, WV: Gargoyle Press] and computer-assisted ratings [Kim, S. I., Bae, J., & Lee, Y. (2007). A computer system to rate the color-related formal elements in art therapy assessments. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 34, 3] through this model by using readily available PDIAS. Case study results indicate that PDIAS is able to analyze accurately formal elements of an FSA drawing. Research implications include improved inter-rater reliability in the adapted Prominence of Color Scale [Gantt, L., & Tabone, C. (1998). The formal elements art therapy scale. Morgantown, WV: Gargoyle Press; Hamilton, M. K. (2008). Developing a standardized rating system for the Face Stimulus Assessment (FSA) using nine scales adapted from the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS). Unpublished master's thesis, Avila University, Kansas City, MO] and the development of highly accurate art therapy assessment rating scales for those without extensive computer analysis backgrounds.