Human Movement Responses Research Articles

The Percept First, Last, and Always: The Importance of Microfacts in Rorschach Analysis of the Human Movement Response

The Percept First, Last, and Always: The Importance of Microfacts in Rorschach Analysis of the Human Movement Response

Maturation of human preterm fetal heart rate and movement responses to airborne sound

Maturation of human preterm fetal heart rate and movement responses to airborne sound

Usefulness of the Rorschach inkblot test in assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The Rorschach inkblot test is commonly used in the psychological evaluation of children. Yet there is little information about the Rorschach performance of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The responses of 24 children rigorously diagnosed with ADHD were scored using the Exner system and compared with normative data. Given their greater impulsivity, poor attention span, and increased responsivity to external stimuli, we predicted that, when compared to norms, the ADHD group would have more color dominant responses (CF), a lower FC:CF + C ratio, fewer human movement responses (M), lower sumM:WsumC and sumM + WsumC ratios, poorer form quality (X-%), and would have the same number of or more detail (D) responses. The results yielded support only for those hypotheses concerning M, X-%, and sumM:WsumC. Comparisons between small subgroups with and without ODD suggested differences in the frequency of Human but not Aggressive responses. Possible reasons for the discrepancies from predictions are discussed.

Piotrowski's Enduring Contributions to the Rorschach: A Review of Perceptanalysis

Zygmunt A. Piotrowski (1904-1985), one of the early pioneers with the Rorschach technique, developed a method for Rorschach analysis described in the text, Perceptanalysis. Based on clinical, teaching, research, and supervisory experiences, the author selected three aspects of the text for review for their enduring contributions to clinical personality analysis. The three areas are: (a) the scientific and philosophical framework of the system; (b) the Human Movement response, M; and (c) the shading responses--light shading, c'R, and dark shading, c'R. The reader is also introduced to other works by Piotrowski, including scales for cerebral dysfunction and schizophrenia.

Behavioral specificity in the rorschach human movement response: A comparison of strippers and models

The presence of exhibitionism in actively exhibitionistic strippers and passively exhibitionistic models was confirmed when it was discovered that 40 out of 43 subjects produced at least one exhibitionistic (EXH) response on the Hand Test, which purportedly measures behavior. Subsequently, based on highly reliable ratings, it was found that the strippers produced significantly more active exhibitionistic human movement (M) responses on the Rorschach and the models more passive exhibitionistic M. This finding was interpreted as confirming Piotrowski's position that M represents reasonably specific overt behaviors. Implications were discussed, and an attempt was made to integrate past research on the Rorschach M score within the context of these findings.

On the Rorschach M Response and Monotheism

The Rorschach human movement (M) response has recently been debated (Exner, 1991a, Kramer, 1991a, 1991b) with additional wider implications for Rorschach psychology. The objective of this discourse is twofold: (a) to elaborate on the contributions of perceptanalysis (Piotrowski, 1957) to this debate and (b) to develop the thesis that diversity is desirable for the long-term advancement of the field of Rorschach psychology and personality assessment. These motifs are illustrated with an interpretation of a clinical case example and with rationale from the theoretical literature and implications for interpreting short Rorschach protocols. The conclusion is proffered that some degree of diversification is more beneficial than requiring the adoption of a single Rorschach approach (i.e., monotheism).

Human vertical eye movement responses to earth horizontal pitch.

The vertical eye movements in humans produced in response to head-over-heels constant velocity pitch rotation about a horizontal axis resemble those from other species. At 60 degrees/s these are persistent and tend to have non-reversing slow components that are compensatory to the direction of rotation. In most, but not all subjects, the slow component velocity was well characterized by a rapid build-up followed by an exponential decay to a non-zero baseline. Super-imposed was a cyclic or modulation component whose frequency corresponded to the time for one revolution and whose maximum amplitude occurred during a specific head orientation. All response components (exponential decay, baseline and modulation) were larger during pitch backward compared to pitch forward runs. Decay time constants were shorter during the backward runs, thus, unlike left to right yaw axis rotation, pitch responses display significant asymmetries between paired forward and backward runs.

The Rorschach test for predicting suicide among depressed adolescent inpatients.

With the decreasing length of psychiatric hospitalizations, identification of test indicators of suicide risk becomes critically important. This Rorschach study was designed to model a clinical decision-making scenario concerning adolescent suicide risk. Using Psychiatric Evaluation Form (PEF) scores, we selected a sample of 25 severely depressed and suicidal adolescents; 26 severely depressed, not suicidal adolescents; and 28 not suicidal, not depressed adolescent inpatients at The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital. A Rorschach Index using the Exner (1986) Comprehensive System for scoring was developed to predict group membership. Four of six of the features on this index selected 64% of suicidal subjects. This constellation included traditional affective variables (vista responses, color-shading blends, color dominated responses, and morbid content) as well as measures of cognitive distortion (inaccurately perceived human movement responses [M-] and special scores). We discuss the implications of these findings for the diagnosis and treatment of the suicidal adolescent.

Parental divorce as a factor in children's perception of human relationships: An analysis of human movement responses in the Rorschach test

The subjects were 108 Swedish children between 10 and 12 years old, who constituted a divorce and a non-divorce group of 27 girls and 27 boys each. Rorschach Tests were administered individually and human movement responses were analysed. Non-divorce children perceived more cooperative and fewer hostile interactions than the divorce children. Responses containing figures engaged in hostile interaction were most common among divorce girls, whereas the divorce boys had difficulties in perceiving any interaction whatsoever. The different effect of parental divorce on the ability of girls and boys to develop satisfactory social relationships is discussed.

The Rorschach M Response: A Return to Its Roots

The Exner (1986) system of scoring of the Rorschach results in a human movement response (M), which is far afield from Rorschach's original intent. This divergence can easily lead to faulty interpretations of a record as there is no need for kinesthetic reactions on behalf of the subject in Exner's system. The need to return to a traditional view of the M is demonstrated through a focus on theory and the literature that illustrates Rorschach's intent. The alteration of the M results in a scoring system which, due to its differences, must come up with a separate interpretative system and not consider itself part of the Rorschach system that Rorschach envisioned.

Human fetal and subsequent newborn responses to sound and vibration

Changes in human fetal heart rate and movement responses elicited by a complex noise, a 2000-Hz tone, and a vibroacoustic stimulus were examined in 36 full-term healthy human fetuses. Subsequently, 30 of the subjects were retested at 1 to 4 days of age. At each testing, each subject received a series of 8 repeating, 2 novel, and 2 re-presented stimulus trials with one of the three stimuli as well as a series of 12 control trials. Before and after birth, the magnitude of responses elicited by a noise and vibrator was substantially greater than that elicited by a tone. Responses elicited by a tone could not be differentiated from spontaneous activity occurring on control trials. This similarity in responding suggests a continuity in pre- and postnatal responding to the same kinds of stimulus materials. Furthermore, in support of a habituation explanation of response decrement, fetal cardiac acceleration and fetal movement responses declined over repeating noise trials and showed recovery on subsequent novelty (i.e., vibroacoustic) trials. Also, recovery of the fetal cardiac acceleration response (classic dishabituation) was observed on the first re-presented noise trial. Response decrement was not observed using the vibroacoustic stimulus. The demonstration of response decline, novelty response, and dishabituation to an airborne sound stimulus using this method illustrates its potential for measuring central nervous system functioning and for distinguishing between selective receptor adaptation and retention of memory models of habituation in the fetus. However, the usefulness of a habituation/dishabituation technique to study auditory processing across the pre- and postnatal periods awaits the establishment of methodological adaptations which ensure stimulus-response equivalence during fetal and neonatal testing.

Rorschach Inkblot Movement Responses as a Function of Motor Activity or Inhibition

Previous studies testing the hypothesis that movement perception in Rorschach is related inversely to motor activity and directly to motor inhibition obtained inconsistent results. The present study attempted to integrate the conflicting data by examining the influence of two situational variables. The perception of movement was expected to be influenced by the interaction between the type of motor activity/inhibition and the timing of the response to the Rorschach blots. Three types of motor activity/inhibition were manipulated: 1) Overt activity, 2) Active inhibition, 3) Passive inhibition. The Rorschach blots were responded to either during or after the motor activity/inhibition task. There were different hypotheses for human movement (M) and animal movement (FM) responses, derived from the different theoretical meanings of these scores. The main hypotheses were that only 1) during overt motor activity and 2) after active motor inhibition, respectively, more animal (FM) and human (M) movement responses would be produced than under the control condition. One hundred and five male high school students randomly assigned to seven experimental groups responded to five Rorschach cards. The mean scores were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA with a single control group. Both hypotheses were confirmed. The increase in “M-thinking” after the active motor inhibition and in “FM-thinking” during the overt motor activity were explained as derived respectively from the notions of the experience of delay of action and immediate impulse gratification.

Searching for projection in the Rorschach.

The issue of assumptions concerning projection and the Rorschach is discussed in relation to the Rorschach response process and the process of projection. Some data suggest that some minus answers may evolve because of projection, but the limited nature of the findings indicate that these types of projected answers will be difficult to identify in most cases. Findings concerning passive and aggressive movement responses, morbid content responses, and movement answers, coded using a new special score for positive cooperative interaction (COP) in human and animal movement responses, suggest that most projections will manifest in responses that depart from and/or embellish the stimulus field. Caution is recommended about attempting to interpret single answers tht appear to be projections, because most any might be the product of simple stimulus classification.

Rorschach EB as a predictor of imaging style.

60 university students were administered the Rorschach inkblot test and the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (VVQ). No significant linear relationships were found between Rorschach scores involving human movement and color responses (EB, M, Sum weighted C, and EA) and scores on the questionnaire. Also, no significant nonlinear relationship was found between Rorschach EB scores and scores on the questionnaire. Rorschach's hypothesis of a relationship between imagery types and Rorschach EB is brought into question.

View Point: Health Promotion: A Discipline or a Technology?

First, discipline has an identifiable domain; . . . a specifiable scope of inquiry; a central core area of interest. ’’7 For example, in some of the basic scientific disciplines, an identifiable domain is usually clearly defined; such as the science of living organisms for physiology; the science of atomic and molecular systems for physics and chemistry. 8 What is health promotion’s domain of interest? Is it lifestyle, optimal health, behavior change, or possibly the promotion of all of these? As an interdisciplinary field, health promotion has attracted professionals from a variety of disciplines with already defined domains of interest. For example, psychologists bring their domain of interest in human behavior to health promotion; physical educators their interest in human movement and physiological responses to exercise; while public health educators bring their interest in learning and its effects on human health behavior. As a new discipline, what is the unique domain of interest in health promotion?

Individual Differences in the Rorschach M Response and the Distribution of Phasic Integrated Potentials (PIPs) During Sleep

Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) spikes, which may be the most critical phasic event associated with REM sleep, cannot be recorded directly in humans. A partial indicator of PGO activity in humans is phasic integrated potentials (PIPs). Individuals differ in the degree to which PIPs are dispersed out of REM sleep into NREM sleep. In this study, the PIPs of 15 normal men were recorded during sleep. The following morning they were administered Rorschachs. There was a significant and positive correlation between the frequency of NREM PIPs and the number of Human Movement responses on the Rorschach, replicating the finding of an earlier study.

Responses to interpersonal confrontation: interactions with human movement and color perception.

Two videotapes designed to present varying levels of interpersonal confrontation potential were viewed by 48 student volunteer subjects. Verbal responses to the tapes were recorded, and state anxiety in response to each tape was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Subjects' experience balances were computed based on the ratio of human movement responses to color responses on the Holtzman Inkblot Technique. It was found that introversive individuals showed increased response latency and state anxiety in response to the increase in interpersonal confrontation, whereas extratensive and ambiequal individuals showed only increased response latency or state anxiety, respectively. Implications are discussed in terms of interpretation of the experience balance itself and more generally in terms of personality-situation interactions and personality assessment research strategies.

Two Studies of the Movement Responses in Young Children: New and Highly Discrepant Norms

The Holtzman Ink Blot Test was administered to 5- to 6-year-old children and analyzed for movement response. The range and frequency of movement response in both an original and replication study are significantly greater than would have been anticipated for this age group based upon available normative data. NO significant differences were found in the frequency of Human Movement and Animal Movement responses. No sex difference among subjects was found in the range and frequency of movement responses produced. These new findings call into question previously reported data as well as some of the theoretical presumptions underlying the production of movement responses by young children.

Rorschach human movement responses of acting-out and withdrawn adolescents.

Rorschach human movement responses of 20 male and 20 female acting-out and withdrawn adolescents were scored according to flexor/extensor/blocked categories. Comparison of the two groups showed: (a) All subjects produced more extensor M than the other two M categories, (b) Acting-out adolescents produced more extensor M than the withdrawn subjects, (c) The two groups did not differ in number of flexor or blocked M. Extensor M seems to tap a propensity for acting-out, while flexor and blocked M do not differentiate the two groups of children.

An Investigation of Fitts’ Law Using a Wide Range of Movement Amplitudes

The relationship between Fitts' Index of Difficulty (ID = log2 2A/W) and movement time was investigated for finger, wrist, and whole arm motions over a wide range of movement distances (0.25 to 30.5 cm). Results supported Fitts' original speculation that various limb segments may show different maximum information processing rates. Short-distance finger and wrist motions showed much higher rates (38 and 23 bits/sec, respectively) than longer-distance arm motions (10 bits/sec). Examination of motion trajectories qualitatively supported a descriptive model whereby a visually mediated discrete-correction control process is used, as proposed by Crossman and Goodeve (Note 1) and Keele (1968). However, evidence of severe nonlinearities in the measured human movement responses did not support the use of linear control models in explaining the empirical validity of Fitts' law in predicting human motor performance.