Objectifying the sand tray: An initial example of three-dimensional art image analysis for assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore placement and count of standardized sand tray figures based on a sample of adults ( n = 5) completing the Erica Method in an effort to address the need for higher accuracy in sand tray assessment ( Bowyer, 1970; Danielson, 1998; Sjolund, 1981). This study demonstrated image analysis capabilities and limitations in assessing both 3-dimensional object count and placement, which are important clinical sand tray assessment components ( Bolgar & Fischer, 1947; Buhler, 1951; Danielson, 1998). Public domain image analysis software (PDIAS, Mattson, 2009) objectively determined total sand tray figure count and total sand tray figure area used. Human raters ( n = 4) assessed the same criteria. Human-PDIAS inter-rater reliability was higher than human inter-rater reliability. As a result, computerized rating may hold potential for more efficient rating based on this study.