Jon D. Swartz

PERFORMANCE OF FORENSIC PATIENTS ON THE HOLTZMAN INKBLOT TECHNIQUE: A NORMATIVE STUDY

The Holtzman Inkblot Technique was administered to all 269 adult males admitted as forensic patients in the state of Texas during a 12-mo. period. Normative data presented suggest that these forensic patients differ from other criterion groups in their responses to this psychometrically rigorous projective technique. Factor analysis of the scores indicated a factorial structure similar to that reported for several of the Holtzman standardization samples but with at least one factor which seems to be unique to these forensic patients.

A QUICK VERSION OF ADMINISTRATION FOR THE GROUP HOLTZMAN INKBLOT TECHNIQUE

A quick version of the standard Group Holtzman Inkblot Technique was administered to 48 college students in introductory psychology classes during regular 50-min. class periods. Results indicated that most of the scores obtained by this quick version are comparable to those obtained by the more time-consuming standard group version.

Cognitive dictionary structure of the elderly

An 80-word free word association list was administered individually to a sample of elderly men and women on two occasions, 1 week apart. Elderly persons were found to exhibit the same enduring free word association response sets (the tendency to give a predominance of one or another specific class of associate; e.g., contrast) found in earlier studies of children. Although the response sets of the elderly were reliable, as was found in studies of younger persons, the majority of their specific word pairs were different. It was concluded that individual differences in cognitive dictionaries of the elderly are represented better by hierarchies of association principles that differ in probability of use than by hierarchies of specific word-word affinities.

War and Peace revisited: Practicing positive eugenics

Genetic loss due to wars and selection of the fit to be placed in the least favorable survival position is examined in a historical and speculative vein. On the basis of advances in genetic technology, a practical positive eugenics paradigm is offered to insure those who will perish in future wars of progeny if they so desire.