Two Methods of Early Memories Data Collection: An Empirical Comparison of the Projective Yield

Abstract

This study addresses a methodological issue regarding the preferred method of collecting early memories data—using an interpersonal administration to collect the data, or using a written procedure in which subjects are asked to record their early memories privately. Early memories from clinical and nonclinical control groups from two experimental conditions were scored on the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS). The results support the superiority of the interpersonal administration over the private, written condition in differentiating clinical from nonclinical controls. The results are discussed in the context of contemporary trends in personality assessment, which attempt to limit interpersonal contact with the patient during the assessment process, in order to save time and money. The authors contend that this practice may yield less complex and less fertile projective data than the traditional interpersonal testing context.