W

Location Code

Whole Response

D

Location Code

Common Detail Response

Dd

Location Code

Unusual Detail Response

S

Location Code

White Space Response

(scored only with another location symbol,

as in WS, DS, or Dds)

+

Developmental Quality

Synthesized Response

Two or more objects are described as separate but related.  At least one of the objects involved must have a specific form demand, or be described in a manner that creates a specific form demand. (ex. a dog walking among some bushes, an airplane flying through clouds, a man with a hat on)

o

 Developmental Quality

Ordinary Response

An area of the blot is identified as a single object which has features that create a natural form demand or the description of the object is such as to create a specific form demand (ex. a fir tree, a cat, a totem pole, a bat, a flag)

v/+

 Developmental Quality

Synthesized Response

Two or more objects are described as separate but related.  None of the objects involved have a specific form demand and the articulation does not introduce a form demand for any of the objects.  (ex. clouds coming together, bay w/ vegetation around the shore, a rock with dirt around it)

v

 Developmental Quality

Vague

An object is reported which has no specific form demand, and the articulation does not introduce a specific form demand for the object (ex. a cloud, the sky, the colors of sunset, some ice).

Form Demand

Any object that does have a form demand must be coded as o (ordinary), or + (synthesis) if it is in a meaningful relationship with another object even if the other object does not have a form demand.

Any object that does not have a form demand must be coded as v (vague) or v/+ (synthesis) if it is meaningfully combined with another object that also has no form demand.

Form Demand, cont. 

Examples of objects with NO form demand:

cloud, lake, island, foliage, paint, abstract art

Examples of objects WITH form demand:

face, person, lion, chair, fir tree

Determinant Categories (7)

Form

Movement

Human Movement, Animal Movement, Inanimate Movement

Chromatic Color

Achromatic Color

Shading

Texture, Depth or dimensionality, Diffuse

Form Dimension

Pairs and Reflections

Form

Determinant Category

F - Used for responses based exclusively on the form features of the blot.

Movement

Determinant Category 

M - Human Movement responses.  Responses w/ kinesthetic activity of a human, or of an animal or fictional character in human-like activity.

FM - Animal movement responses. Responses w/  kinesthetic activity of an animal.  Mvmt. must be congruent to the species.  Mvmt not congruent w/ species is coded as M.

m - Inanimate movement response.  Responses w/ mvmt of inanimate, inorganic, or insensate objects.

Chromatic Color

Determinant Category

C - Pure color response.  No form

CF - Color-form response.  Formulated primarily  because of color features.  Form features

of secondary importance.

FC - Form-color response. Formulated primarily because of form features.  Color is secondary.

Cn - Color naming response.  Used when the colors of the blot are indentified by name, and with the intention of giving a response.

Achromatic Color

Determinant Category 

C' - Pure achromatic color response. Response based on black, white, and gray.  No form.

C'F - Achromatic color-form responses. Answers based mostly on black, white, or gray, clearly used as color.  Form features of secondary importance.

FC' - Form-achromatic color response. Answers based mainly on form features.  Achromatic colors of secondary importance.

Shading-Texture

Determinant Category 

T - Pure texture response. Answers where shading is translated to represent a tactual phenomenon, with no consideration of form features.

TF - Texture-form response. Answers where shading is interpreted as tactual, and form is used secondarily, for purposes of elaboration/ clarification.

FT - Form-texture response. Answers based mainly on form.  Shading features are tactual, but secondary.

Shading-Dimension

Determinant Category 

V - Pure vista response. Answers where shading is interpreted as depth of dimensionality. No form.

VF - Vista-form response. Answers where shading is interpreted as depth or dimensionality.  Form is secondary.

FV - Form-vista response. Answers based mainly on form features. Shading is interpreted to represent depth or dimensionality but is of secondary importance.

Shading-Diffuse

Determinant Category 

Y - Pure shading response. Answers based exclusively on light-dark features. No form, texture, dimension.

YF - Shading form response. Answers based mainly on light-dark features. No texture or dimension. Form included, but of separated importance.

FY - Form-shading response. Answers based mainly on form. Light-dark features included as elaboration/ clarification, with no texture or dimension.

Form Dimension

Determinant Category 

FD - Form based dimensional responses. Answers where impression of depth, distance, or dimensionality is created by using the elements of size and/or shape of contours. No use of shading is involved in creating this impression.

Pairs & Reflections

Determinant Category 

(2) - The pair response. Answers where two identical objects are reported, based on symmetry.  Equivalent in all respects, but NOT identified as being reflected or as mirror images. (not recorded if rF or Fr is coded)

rF - Reflection-form responses. Answers where area is reported as a reflection/ mirror image because of symmetry.  Object or content has no form demand.

Fr - Form-reflection responses. Answers where the area is identified as reflected or a mirror image, based on symmetry.  Primarily based on form features, and object has a specific form demand.

+

Form Quality

Ordinary-Elaborated

The unusually detailed articulation of form in responses that otherwise would be scored ordinary. It's done in a manner that tends to enrich the quality of the response without sacrificing the appropriateness of the form use.

Not necessarily original or creative, but stands out by the manner in which form details are used and specified.

o

Form Quality

Ordinary

The comon response in which general form features are easily articulated to identify an object. These are easy to see answers that have been reported by at least 2% of persons in the Form Quality data pool for W and D areas, or by at least 50 persons in the pool who responded to Dd areas.  No unusual enrichment of the answer by elaboration of the form features.

u

Form Quality

Unusual

A low frequency response in which the basic contours involved are appropriate for the response. These are uncomon answers that are seen quickly and easily by the observer.

-

Form Quality

Minus

The distorted, arbitrary, unrealistic use of form in creating a response. The answer is imposed on the blot structure with total, or near total disregard for the contours of the area used. Often substantial arbitrary lines or contours will be created where none exist.

Multiple Object Responses

Form Quality

With responses that have multiple objects with different form qualities:

As a rule, the less favorable form quality is assigned for the entire responses, o being more favorable than u, and u more favorable than minus, however, this rule is applied only to objects that are clearly important to the overall response.

H

Contents

Whole Human

For responses involving a whole himan form.  If the response involves a real historical figure, such as Japoleon, Joan of Arc, etc., the content code Ay should be added as a secondary code.

(H)

Contents

Whole Human, Fictional or Mythological

For responses involving a whole human form that is fictional or mythological, such as clowns, fairies, giants, witches, fairly tale characters, angels, dwarfs, devils, ghosts, science fiction creatures that are humanoid, human-like monsters, silhouettes of human figures.

Hd

Contents 

Human Detail

For responses involving an incomplete human form, such as an arm, head, leg, fingers, feet, the lower part of a person, a person without a head.

(Hd)

Contents 

Human Detail, Fictional or Mythological

For responses involving an incomplete human form that is fictional or mythological suchas, the head of the devil, the arm of a witch, the eyes of an angel, parts of humanoid science fiction creatures, jack-o-lantern, and all masks except animal masks.

Hx

Contents 

Human Experience

 Usually coded as a secondary content for answers that clearly involve the attribution of a human emotion or sensory experience to the object(s) in the responses.  (two people in love, looking at each other, a cat that is sad, woman smelling something bad) The attriution of the emotion must be clear and unequivocal. Scored as a primary content for formelss M responses that involve the emotion or sense such as love, hate, depression, sound, smell. 

Also include AB as special score.

A

Contents 

Whole Animal

For responses involving a whle animal form.

(A)

Contents 

Whole Animal, Fictional or Mythological

For responses involving a whole animal that is fictional or mythological, such as a unicorn, dragon, magic frog, flying horse, Black Beauty.

Ad

Contents 

Animal Detail

For responses involving an incomplete animal form, such as the hoof of a horse, claw of a lobster, head of a dog, animal skin.

(Ad)

Contents 

Animal Detail, Fictional or Mythological

For responses involving an incomplete animl form that is fictional or mythological such as, the wing of Pegasus, the head of Peter Rabbit, the legs of Pooh Bear, and all animal masks.

An

Contents 

Anatomy

For responses in which the content is skeletal, muscular, or of internal anatomy such as bone structure, skull, rib cage, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, muscle fiber, veertebrae, brain. If the response involves a tissue slide, the content Art should e added as secondary.

Art

Contents 

Art

For responses of paintings, drawings, or illustrations, either abstract or definitive, art objects, such as statues, jewelry, chandelier, candelabra, crests, badges, seals, and decorations. A feather seen worn as a decoration, often seen on Card VII, also should be coded as Art. In many responses coded for Art a second content will also be coded, such as a painting of two dogs would be Art,A, a sculputre of two witches would be Art, (H).

Ay

Contents

 Anthropology

For responses that have a specific cultural or historical connotation such as totem, Roman helmet, Magna Carta, Santa Maria, Napoleon's hat, Cleopatra's crown, arrowhead, prehistoric axe, an Indian war bonnet.

Bl

Contents 

Blood

For responses of blood, either human or animal.

Bt

Contents 

Botany

For responses involving any plant life such as bushes, flowers, seaweed, trees, or parts of plant life, such as leaves, petals, tree trunk, root, bird's nest.

Cg

Contents 

Clothing

For responses involving any article of clothing such as hat, boots, belt, dress, necktie, jacket, trousers, scarf.

Cl

Contents 

Cloud

Used specifically for the content cloud.  Variotions of this category, such as fot or mist are coded Na.

Ex

Contents 

Explosion

For responses involving a blast or explosion, including fireworks.

Fi

Contents 

Fire

For responses of fire or smoke.

Fd

Contents 

Food

Used for any edible common for humans (incl. chewing gum) or for animals eating a food that is natural for their species, such as a bird eating a worm or insect.

Ge

Contents 

Geography

Used for the responses of a map, specified or unspecified.

Hh

Contents 

Household

Used for responses that include household items, such as bed, carving knife, chari, cooking utensil, rug (animal skin rug should be coded Ad and Hh entered as a secondary content).  Some items coded Hh will also be coded Art, such as candelabra, chandelier, or artistic pieces such as a centerpiece bowl.

Ls

Contents 

Landscape

For responses that involve landscape, such as mountain, mountain range, hill, island, cave, rocks, desert, swamp, or seascapes, such as coral reef or underwater scene.

Na

Contents 

Nature

Used for a borad variety of contents from the natural environment that are not coded as Bt or Ls, such as sun, moon, planet, sky, water, snow, rain, rainbow, tornado, night, raindrop.

Sc

Contents 

Science

For responses that are associated with, or are the director or indirect products of science or science fiction, such as airplanes, buildings, bridges, cars, light bulb, microscope, motorcycles, motors, musical instrument, radar station, road, ships, telescope, TV aerial, weapons, etc.

Sx

Contents 

Sex

For responses involving sex organs or activity of a sexual nature, such as penis, vagina, buttocks, breasts (except when used to identify the sex of a human figure), menstruation, abortion, intercourse. Sx is usually scored as a secondary content.  Primary contens are typically H, Hd, or An.

Coding Multiple Contents

When responses contain more than one content, code them all, with two exceptions:

Na always takes priority over Bt or Ls.

If response does not include Na but contains

both Bt and Ls, only one is scored.

Id

Contents 

Idiographic content

Responses that do not fit into one of the standard content categories.  Write out the content and code as Id on the Structural Summary Blank.

Card I 

Populars

W - Bat, with the true apex of hte blot being identified as the top portion of the bat, and always involving the whole blot.

W - Butterfly, same as above.

Card II 

Populars

D1 - Animal, specifically indentidied as bear, dog, elephant, or lamb.  The responses is usually the head or upper body, however, responses involving the whole animal are also coded P.

Card III

Populars

D9 - Human figure or representations thereof such as dolls, caricatures, etc. If D1 is used as two human figures, D7 or Dd 31 should not be reported as part of the human figure if the coding P is to be applied.

Card IV

Populars

W or D7 - Human or human-like figure such as giant, monster, science fiction creature, etc. Animal figures are not coded as P.

Card V

Populars

W - Bat with the true apex of the blot being identified as the top portion of the bat, and always involving the whole blot.

W - Butterfly, with the true apex of the blot being identified as the top portion of the butterfly, and always involving the whole blot.

Card VI

Populars

W or D1 - Animal skin, hide, rug, or pelt.  Often, the skin, hide, or pelt will be included in the description of a whole animal, such as a cat or fox, either in natural or unnatural form.  The decision about whether to code P in these responses is based on whether the skin or hide is actually mentioned, or clearly implied in the description given by the client.

Card VII

Populars

D9 - Human head or face, specifically identified as female, child, or Indian, or with gender not identified.  This Popular is usually embedded in answers given to the larger areas D1, D2, or Dd23. If D1 is used, the upper segment (D5) is usually identified as hair, feather, etc. If the response includes the entire D2 or Dd23 areas, P is coded only if the head or face is restricted to the D9 area.

Card VIII

Populars

D1 - Whole animal figure, usually of the canine, feline, or rodent varieties, with the head of the animal adjacent to the D4 area.

Card IX

Populars

D3 - Human or human-like figure such as witch, giant, monster, science fiction creature, etc.

Card X

Populars

D1 - Crab, with all appendages restricted

to the D1 area.

D1 - Spider, with all appendages restricted

to the D1 area.

ZW

Z score

A Whole response that has a

DQ coding of +, o, or v/+ 

(answers that have a DQ coding of v

are never assigned a Z score)

ZA

Z score

A response in which two or more separate objects, identified in adjacent detail areas of the blot (areas that touch), are reported in a meaningful relation.

ZD

Z score

A response in which two or more separate objects, identified in non-adjacent (distant) detail areas of the blot (areas that do not touch), are reported in a meaningful relationship.

ZS

Z score

A response in which white space is integrated with other areas of the blot in forming a response. Responses using only white space are not assigned a Z score.

Cognitive Special Scores

DV

DR

INCOM

FABCOM

CONTAM

ALOG

Deviant Verbalizations

DV - Deviant Verbalizations

DR - Deviant Responses

DV

Deviant Verbalizations

Neologisms: Use of an inapplicable word, or neologism, in place of an appropriate word that falls within the person's verbal capacity.

DR

Deviant Responses

Assigned for answers that have a strange or peculiar quality because the person has injected wording that reflects a tendency to detach from, or to distort, the task at hand.  Some DR's are coded when the person injects a phrase that is not relevant.  Others reflect answers in which the person tends to ramble inppropriately.  Verbiage is inappropriate to the task at hand.

If answers contain both DR and DV, only code the DR.

DR, cont.

Inappropriate Phrases

Answers that include phrases that are inappropriate, or completely irrelvant.  Limited to phrases embeded in the response itself, and offered in relation to the response.  Comments that make the answer more unusual than should be the case.

Level 1 or 2

 DR2 responses tend to reflect problems in maintaining adequate ideational control.

DR, cont.

Circumstantial Responses

Involving answers that are fluid or rambling in which the person becomes inappropriately elaborative in ways that seem to ignore the task.  Much of the verbiage has little relevance to the response.

Inappropriate Combinations

INCOM (Level 1 or 2)

FABCOM (Level 1 or 2)

CONTAM (no distinction in level)

INCOM

Incongruous Combinations

Used to identify responses in which one or more highly implausible, or impossible, features or activities are attributed to a single object. If the object is portrayed as in a cartoon, the INCOM is not assigned as cartoon characters can take any form, or engage in activities that are otherwise implausible.

Level 1 responses are casual and/or benign.

Level 2 responses are strange and unrealistic.

FABCOM

Fabulized Combination

Responses in which an implausible, or impossible, relationship is posited to exist between two or more objects.  Also scored for implausible transparencies.  Except for transparencies, FABCOM answers always include two or more objects.

Level 2 indicates bizarreness.  Implausible transparencies are always coded as Level 2.

CONTAM

Contamination

Most bizarre of the inappropriate combinations.  Two or more impressions that have been fused into a single response in a manner that clearly violates reality.  The process of fusion causes impairment to the adequacy of either impression in contrast to the situation where they might be reported separately.  Photographic double exposure.

Do not also include other unusual verbalization codes (DV, DR, INCOM, FABCOM, ALOG)

ALOG

Inappropriate Logic

Assigned when the person (without prompting) uses strained, unconventional reasoning to justify the answer.  It represents a loose and simplistic form of thinking that breeds very flawed judgment.

PSV

Within Card Perseveration

Consecutive answers in which the same location, DQ, determinant(s), FQ, content, and Z score (if one has been assigned) appear in both answers.  Content may change slightly but the category remains the same. 

P coding is not essential,

and neither are special scores.

PSV, cont.

Content Perseveration

Answers where the person identifies the object as the same one seen previously.  Critical that the person identifies the new object as being the same as one reported in an earlier response. 

Codings need not be similar.

PSV, cont.

Mechanical Perseveration

Found most frequently among people who are intellectually and/or neurologically impaired.  Usually occurs in brief and simplistic records.  

The person mechanically reports the same object over and over.  Card I is a bat, Card II is a bat, Card III is another bat, etc.

Special Content Characteristics

Abstract Content

Aggressive Movement

Cooperative Movement

Morbid Content

AB

Abstract Content (2 classes)

The first class are answers where the only content code is Human Experience.  DQv answers that contain a formless M determinant.

In the second class, form is used, and the person also articulates a clear and specific symbolic representation in the response.  Often contains the words represents or shows.

AG

Aggressive Movement

Any movement response in which the action is clearly aggressive, such as fighting, breaking, arguing, looking angry, etc.  The aggression must be occurring, and not when the object has been subjected to an aggressive act.

COP

Cooperative Movement

Any movement response (M, FM, or m) involving at least two objects in which the interaction is clearly positive or cooperative.  Dancing is always coded as COP, provided two or more objects are included. 

Both AG and COP can be included in the same response, when two objects are cooperating in

an aggressive act.

MOR

 Morbid Content

Identification of the object as dead, destroyed, ruined, spoiled, damaged, injured, or broken.

OR

Attribution to an object of a clearly dysphoric feeling or characteristic.  i.e. a gloomy house, a sad tree, an unhappy person, a person crying, depression, etc.

Human Representational Responses

Determine GHR or PHR if one of

the following criteria is met:

Responses that contain any Human Content Coding

[H, (H), Hd, (Hd), Hx].

Responses which contain the determinant M.

FM responses that have COP or AG special scores.

GHR vs. PHR

(7 steps)

1) Score GHR for answers containing a Pure H coding that also have all these:

 a) Form Quality of FQ+, FQo or FQu

b) No cognitive special scores except DV

c) No special scores of AG or MOR

2) Score PHR for answers that have either:

a) FQ- or FQnone (no Form), or

b) FQ+, FQo or FQu and have an ALOG, CONTAM,

or any Level 2 cognitive special score

3) Score GHR for any remaining hman representational answers that have the special score COP, but do not have the special score AG

4) Score PHR for any remaining human rep. answers that have either:

a) The special scores FABCOM or MOR          b) The content score An

5)Score GHR for remaining hman rep answrs to Cds 3,4,7,9 that are Popular

6) Score PHR for any remaining human rep answers that have any of these:

a) The special scores AG, INCOM, or DR

b) An Hd coding [not (Hd) coding]

7) Score GHR for all remaining human rep answers

PER

Personalized Answers

Any repsonse where the person refers to personal knowledge or experience as part of the basis for justifying and/or clarifying a response.

CP

Color Projection

Any response where a person identifies an achromatic blot or blot area as being chromatically colored.  Occur most frequently in Crds IV or V.

The determinants for chromatic color (FC, CF, or C) are never included in the scoring because there is no chromatic coloring in the blot.