This article addresses a 2006 article by Hojnoski, Morrison, Brown, and Matthews on the use of performance-based measurement among school-based practitioners. Their results suggest that many of their survey respondents favor the use of this form of measurement. This line of research is important and addresses an important issue in current clinical practice. However, they offer a critique of this form of assessment, in response to which the author raises four issues. First, there is a difference between tests and techniques. Second, assessment tools do not make decisions or diagnoses; clinicians do. Third, actuarial prediction and clinical expertise are mutually enhancing. Last, the relationship between science and practice should be bidirectional and integrative. These points are discussed in terms of the utility and appropriateness of performance-based measurement tools and techniques for helping psychologists answer diagnostic, placement, and treatment questions in the school setting.
Abraham, P.P., Lepisto, B.L., Lewis, M.G., Schultz, L., & Finkelberg, S. (1994). An outcome study: Changes in Rorschach variables of adolescents in residential treatment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 62, 505-514.
2.
Ackerman, S.J., Clemence, A.J., Weatherill, R., & Hilsenroth, M.J. (1999). Use of the TAT in the assessment of DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorders. Journal of Personality Assessment, 73, 422-442.
3.
Ackerman, S.J., Hilsenroth, M.J., Clemence, A.J., Weatherill, R., & Fowler, J.C. (2001). Convergent validity of Rorschach and TAT scales of object relations. Journal of Personality Assessment, 77, 295-306.
4.
Acklin, M.W. (1990). Personality dimensions in two types of learning-disabled children: A Rorschach study. Journal of Personality Assessment , 54, 67-77.
5.
Acklin, M.W., & Fechner-Bates, S. (1989). Rorschach developmental quality and intelligence factors. Journal of Personality Assessment , 53, 537-545.
6.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principals of psychologists and code of conduct. Washington, DC: Author.
7.
Archer, R.P., & Newsom, C.R. (2000). Psychological test usage with adolescent clients: Survey update. Assessment, 7, 227-235.
8.
Bartell, S.S., & Solanto, M.V. (1995). Usefulness of the Rorschach Inkblot Test in assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 80, 531-541.
9.
Butcher, J.N., Williams, C.L., Graham, J.R., Archer, R.P., Tellegen, A., Ben-Porath, Y.S., et al. (1992). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (MMPI-A): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
10.
Cashel, M.L. (2002). Child and adolescent psychological assessment: Current clinical practice and the impact of managed care. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 446-453.
11.
Clemence, A.J., & Handler, L. (2001). Psychological assessment on internship: A survey of training directors and their expectations for students. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76, 18-47.
12.
Clemence, A.J., Hilsenroth, M.J., Sivec, H.J., & Rasch, M.A. (1999). Hand Test AGG and AOS variables: Relation with teacher rating of aggressiveness. Journal of Personality Assessment , 73, 334-344.
13.
Clemence, A.J., Hilsenroth, M.J., Sivec, H.J., Rasch, M.A., & Waehler, C.A. (1998). Use of the Hand Test in the classification of psychiatric inpatient adolescents. Journal of Personality Assessment, 71, 228-241.
14.
Cruz, E.B., Brier, N.M., & Reznikoff, M. (1997). An examination of the relationship between form level rating on the Rorschach and learning disability status. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 131, 167-174.
15.
Dawes, R.M., Faust, D., & Meehl, P.E. (1989). Clinical versus actuarial judgment. Science, 243, 1668-1674.
16.
Durand, V.M., Blanchard, E.B., & Mindell, J.A. (1988). Training in projective testing: Survey of clinical training directors and internship directors. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19, 236-238.
17.
Exner, J.E. (2003). The Rorschach: A comprehensive system (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley.
18.
Ganellen, R.J. (1996). Comparing the diagnostic efficiency of the MMPI, MCMI-II, and Rorschach: A review. Journal of Personality Assessment , 67, 219-243.
19.
Garb, H.N. (1999). Call for a moratorium on the use of the Rorschach Inkblot Test in clinical and forensic settings. Assessment , 6, 313-317.
20.
Garb, H.N., Wood, J.M., Nezworski, M.T., Grove, W.M., & Stejskal, W.J. (2001). Toward a resolution of the Rorschach controversy. Psychological Assessment, 13, 433-448.
21.
Gronnerod, C. (2003). Temporal stability in the Rorschach method: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Personality Assessment, 80, 272-293.
22.
Grove, W.M., & Lloyd, M. (2006). Meehl's contribution to clinical versus statistical prediction. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 192-194.
23.
Grove, W.M., & Meehl, P.E. (1996). Comparative efficiency of informal (subjective, impressionistic) and formal (mechanical, algorithmic) prediction procedures: The clinical—statistical controversy. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, 2, 293-323.
24.
Handler, L., & Meyer, G.J. (1998). The importance of teaching and learning personality assessment. In L. Handler & M. J. Hilsenroth (Eds.), Teaching and learning personality assessment (pp. 3-30). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
25.
Hiller, J.B., Rosenthal, R., Bornstein, R.F., Berry, D.T.R., & Brunell-Neuleib, S. (1999). A comparative meta-analysis of Rorschach and MMPI validity. Psychological Assessment, 11, 278-296.
26.
Hilsenroth, M.J., & Stricker, G. (2004). A consideration of challenges to psychological assessment instruments used in forensic settings: Rorschach as exemplar. Journal of Personality Assessment, 83(2), 141-152.
27.
Hojnoski, R.L., Morrison, R., Brown, M.C., & Matthews, W.J. (2006). Projective test use among school psychologists: A survey and critique. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 24, 145-159.
28.
Holaday, M. (2000). Rorschach protocols from children and adolescents diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Personality Assessment, 75, 143-157.
29.
Liebman, S.J., Porcerelli, J., & Abell, S.C. (2005). Reliability and validity of Rorschach aggression variables with a sample of adjudicated adolescents. Journal of Personality Assessment, 81, 33-39.
30.
Lilienfeld, S.O., Wood, J.M., & Garb, H.N. (2000). The scientific status of projective techniques . Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1, 27-66.
31.
Meehl, P.E. (1954). Clinical versus statistical prediction: A theoretical analysis and a review of the evidence. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield.
32.
Meehl, P.E. (1959). Some ruminations on the validation of clinical procedures. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 13, 106-128.
33.
Meehl, P.E. (1967). What can the clinician do well? In D. N. Jackson & S. Messick (Eds.), Problems in human assessment (pp. 594-599). New York: McGraw-Hill.
34.
Meyer, G.J. (2000). On the science of Rorschach research. Journal of Personality Assessment, 75, 46-81.
35.
Meyer, G.J. (2002). Implications of information-gathering methods for a refined taxonomy of psychopathology. In L. E. Beutler & M. L. Malik (Eds.), Rethinking the DSM: A psychological perspective (pp. 69-105). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
36.
Meyer, G.J., & Archer, R.P. (2001). The hard science of Rorschach research: What do we know and where do we go?Psychological Assessment, 13, 486-502.
37.
Meyer, G.J., Hilsenroth, M.J., Baxter, D., Exner, J.E., Fowler, J.C., Piers, C.C., et al. (2002). An examination of interrater reliability for scoring the Rorschach Comprehensive System in eight data sets. Journal of Personality Assessment, 78, 219-274.
38.
Meyer, G.J., Mihura, J.L., & Smith, B.L. (2005). The interclinician reliability of Rorschach interpretation in four data sets. Journal of Personality Assessment, 84, 296-314.
39.
Niec, L.N., & Russ, S.W. (2002). Children's internal representations, empathy and fantasy play: A validity study of the SCORS-Q. Psychological Assessment, 14, 331-338.
40.
Parker, K.C., Hanson, R.K., & Hunsley, J. (1988). MMPI, Rorschach, and WAIS: A meta-analytic comparison of reliability, stability, and validity. Psychological Bulletin , 103, 367-373.
41.
Roberts, G.E., & Gruber, C.P. (2005). Roberts-2 manual. Los Angeles : Western Psychological Services.
42.
Schrank, F.A., Miller, J.A., Caterino, L.C., & Desrochers, J. (2006). American Academy of School Psychology survey on the independent educational evaluation for a specific learning disability: Results and discussion. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 771-780.
43.
Shapiro, E.S., & Heick, P.E. (2004). School psychologist assessment practices in the evaluation of students referred for social/behavioral/emotional problems. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 551-561.
44.
Smith, A.M., Gacono, C.B., & Kaufman, L. (1997). A Rorschach comparison of psychopathic and nonpsychopathic conduct disordered adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 53, 289-300.
45.
Smith, S.R., Baity, M.R., Knowles, E.S., & Hilsenroth, M.J. (2001). Assessment of disordered thinking in children and adolescents: The Rorschach perceptual-thinking index . Journal of Personality Assessment, 77, 447-463.
46.
Smith, S.R., Blais, M.A., Vangala, M., & Masek, B.J. (2005). Exploring the Hand Test with medically ill children and adolescents. Journal of Personality Assessment, 85, 82-91.
47.
Society for Personality Assessment. (2005). The status of the Rorschach in clinical and forensic practice: An official statement by the board of trustees of the Society for Personality Assessment . Journal of Personality Assessment, 85, 219-237.
48.
Stedman, J.M., Hatch, J.P., & Schoenfeld, L.S. (2000). Preinternship preparation in psychological testing and psychotherapy: What internship directors say they expect. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 31, 321-326.
49.
Stedman, J.M., Hatch, J.P., & Schoenfeld, L.S. (2001a). The current status of psychological assessment training in graduate and professional schools. Journal of Personality Assessment, 77, 398-407.
50.
Stedman, J.M., Hatch, J.P., & Schoenfeld, L.S. (2001b). Internship directors' valuation of preinternship preparation in test-based assessment and psychotherapy . Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32, 421-424.
51.
Stedman, J.M., Hatch, J.P., & Schoenfeld, L.S. (2002). Preinternship preparation of clinical and counseling students in psychological testing, psychotherapy, and supervision: Their readiness for medical school and nonmedical school internships. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings , 9, 267-271.
52.
Stokes, J.M., Pogge, D.L., Grosso, C., & Zaccario, M. (2001). The relationship of the Rorschach schizophrenia index to psychotic features in a child psychiatric sample. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76, 209-228.
53.
Tonelli, M.R. (2006). Integrating evidence into clinical practice: An alternative to evidence-based approaches. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 12, 248-256.
54.
Viglione, D.J. (1999). A review of recent research addressing the utility of the Rorschach. Psychological Assessment, 13, 452-471.
55.
Viglione, D.J., & Hilsenroth, M.J. (2001). The Rorschach: Facts, fictions, and future. Psychological Assessment, 13, 452-471.
56.
Viglione, D.J., & Taylor, N. (2003). Empirical support for interrater reliability of Rorschach Comprehensive System scoring. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59, 111-121.
57.
Wagner, E.E. (1983). The Hand Test manual (Rev. ed.). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
58.
Wagner, E.E., Alexander, R.A., Roos, G., & Adair, H. (1986). Optimum split-half reliabilities for the Rorschach: Projective techniques are more reliable than we think. Journal of Personality Assessment, 50, 107-112.
59.
Wagner, E.E., Rasch, M.A., & Marsico, D.S. (1991). Hand Test manual supplement: Interpreting child and adolescent responses. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
60.
Watkins, C.E. (1991). What have surveys taught us about the teaching and practice of psychological assessment?Journal of Personality Assessment, 56, 426-437.
61.
Wechsler, D. (2004). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children manual (4th ed.)San Antonio: Psychological Corporation.
62.
Weiner, I.B. (1996). Some observations on the validity of the Rorschach Inkblot method. Psychological Assessment, 8, 206-213.
63.
Weiner, I.B. (1997). Current status of the Rorschach Inkblot method . Journal of Personality Assessment, 68, 5-19.
64.
Westen, D. (1995). Social cognition and object relations scale: Q-sort for projective stories (SCORS-Q). Unpublished manuscript, Cambridge Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.
65.
Westen, D., & Weinberger, J. (2004). When clinical description becomes statistical prediction. American Psychologist, 59, 595-613.
66.
Westen, D., & Weinberger, J. (2005). In praise of clinical judgment: Meehl's forgotten legacy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61, 1257-1276.
67.
Wood, J.M., Krishnamurthy, R., & Archer, R.P. (2003). Three factors of the comprehensive system for the Rorschach and their relationship to Wechsler IQ scores in an adolescent sample. Assessment, 10, 259-265.
68.
Wood, J.M., & Lilienfeld, S.O. (1999). The Rorschach Inkblot Test: A case of overstatement? Assessment, 6, 341-349.
69.
Wood, J.M., Nezworski, M.T., & Garb, H.N. (2003). What's right with the Rorschach? Scientific Review ofMental Health Practice, 2, 142-146.
70.
Wood, J.M., Nezworski, M.T., Garb, H.N., & Lilienfeld, S.O. (2001). The misperception of psychopathology: Problems with norms of the comprehensive system for the Rorschach. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 350-373.
71.
Wood, J.M., Nezworski, M.T., Lilienfeld, S.O., & Garb, H.N. (2003). What's wrong with the Rorschach? Science confronts the controversial Inkblot Test. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
72.
Yalof, J., & Abraham, P.P. (2007). Personality assessment in schools. In S. R. Smith & L. Handler (Eds.), The clinical assessment of children and adolescents: A practitioner's handbook (pp. 19-36). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
