The study investigates .the use of the Bender Gestalt Test (BGT) amongst low-educated adults. Three versions of the BGT are used in this study; the original 'copy' version as well as the 'immediate' and 'delayed'recall versions. This is done so as to expand the ability of the BGT to identify neurological impairment and to differentiate between this and functional impairment. A literature review explores the problems of standardization in the administration, scoring and application of all three versions of the test Suggestions are made to correct the problems identified and a novel system of scoring the recall versions are proposed, which allows for the comparison of results of the three versions of the test and which is based on Lacks's (1984) and Weiss's (1970) systems. Administration procedures were also developed to suit the context of the study. The copy, immediate and delayed versions of the BGT were administered to a group of 184 low-educated adults. Statistical analyses revealed significant education effects for the sample tested with regards to both test scores and performance time. The finding of an education effect for performance time is discussed at length, as some literature regards excessive time as a neurological indicator. An anomaly for the group with no education was found to exist, with the scores of these subjects not Significantly different from those with 4-6 years of education. Possible reasons for this were explored. In addition, the findings of this research revealed a plateau effect with those having less than 6 years of education scoring substantially lower than those with 7 years and more. The scores of adults with 7 and more years of education level out with no significant differences between educational levels. This appears to suggest that education effects rather than the developmental maturity level proposed by Koppitz, are involved. In addition, the scores of low-educated adults on the expanded Bender Gestalt Test were significantly lower than those of children with similar educational levels, in other studies. These findings and possible explanations are discussed. The study concludes by suggesting new research areas and emphasizing the urgent need for separate normative data on the expanded BGT for low-educated adults, and the establishment of appropriate 'cut-off' points.

The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in the stimulus value of the Bender Gestalt designs. It is concerned with both differences in structural values and affective values of the nine figures. The investigation is primarily concerned with the reliability of such differences, and secondarily with the general nature of the differences in stimulus value.

This study attempts to validate the hypothesis that six empirically derived signs will differentiate the alcoholic patient from other clinical groups.

Ten experimental and 10 control subjects in elementary special education were exposed to a semester of contingency management procedures for up to 6 1/2 hours per day. The experimental group was taught by teachers who were exceptionally well trained and qualified behavior analysts, while the control group was instructed by teachers with varying degrees of expertise in behavioral techniques. Both groups were given the Bender Gestalt as a pretest and posttest to determine the effect of such treatment on the diagnostic indicators of "acting out" tendencies. Furthermore, the rate of actual "acting out" was measured for all subjects by counting the number of verbal corrections resulting in placement in time out and/ or warning of forthcoming time out during 20 class days of baseline and the last 20 days of treatment.

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between 15 emotional indicators on the Bender-Gestalt Test and acting-out behavior in young children. The subjects were 93 children ranging in age from 5 to 12 years. Each was administered the Bender. A measure of each subject's overt acting-out behavior was then obtained by having teachers rate each student on a Behavioral Rating Scale. Subjects' records were then divided into groups on the basis of both sex and age. Results indicated that neither the total number of Bender indicators nor any of the individual Bender indicators were significantly correlated with total scores on the rating scale. Use of the Bender as a projective device to measure acting-out behavior was seriously questioned.

The Embree/Butler scoring system served as criterion for ascertaining brain dysfunction on the protocols of 100 subjects--50 had been diagnosed by health professionals as having brain dysfunction, and 50 had been diagnosed as having no brain dysfunction. In comparing the hospital's diagnoses with those of the Embree/Butler method, the data strongly supported the hypothesis that the Embree/Butler scoring system did effectively discriminate (chi square of 77.99 < .01) between those with organic brain syndrome (or cerebral dysfunction) and those with psychiatric classification. A point-biserial correlation was used to distinguish the relationship between diagnosis and the score. A cutoff score of above 14 produced the least false-negative or false-positive evaluations.

This study investigated the relationship between the Bender-Gestalt, Draw-a-Man, and the Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Twenty-two children enrolled in the Logan, Utah Head-Start Program comprised the sample. Product-moment correlations indicated a significant relationship between these instruments. The following tentative conclusions were drawn: The Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence bears a relationship to the Draw-a-Man and Bender-Gestalt tests similar to that between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and these instruments. The Bender-Gestalt test, using the Koppitz scoring system, and the Draw-a-Man test can serve a similar checking function with the Wexler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence as they do with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Methodological shortcomings prohibit over-generalization of these findings. The results, however, are seen as indicative of the promise of these instruments, and further investigation was advocated.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Barns utveckling under de sista förskoleåren är nyckeln till en bra skolstart. Visuomotorik är en av de faktorer som krävs för att tillägna sig skolans basfärdigheter. För tidigt födda barn är en grupp som enligt tidigare forskning löper risk för en sämre visuomotorisk utveckling. I den här studien mättes visuomotorik med Bender Gestalt Test med utvärderingssytem utvecklade av främst Elizabeth Koppitz (1963, 1975). I studien jämfördes för tidigt födda barns (n=175) och matchade fullgångna barns (n=125) Bender-resultat vid 5½ års ålder. Resultat visar att Bender-testet och Koppitz poängsystem har god validitet som ett visuomotoriskt mått och instrument i utvecklingsbedömningar. Det visar också att för tidigt födda har en mindre välutvecklad visuomotorik än fullgångna barn. Visuomotorik och högre kognitiv förmåga (främst IQ) uppvisar ett starkt positivt samband i båda grupperna. Resultaten visar även att hyperaktivitet utgjorde en extra riskfaktor hos de för tidigt födda barnen, vilket kan indikera att hyperaktiviteten har en annan dynamik än hos fullgångna barn.</p>

Sammanfattning Barns utveckling under de sista förskoleåren är nyckeln till en bra skolstart. Visuomotorik är en av de faktorer som krävs för att tillägna sig skolans basfärdigheter. För tidigt födda barn är en grupp som enligt tidigare forskning löper risk för en sämre visuomotorisk utveckling. I den här studien mättes visuomotorik med Bender Gestalt Test med utvärderingssytem utvecklade av främst Elizabeth Koppitz (1963, 1975). I studien jämfördes för tidigt födda barns (n=175) och matchade fullgångna barns (n=125) Bender-resultat vid 5½ års ålder. Resultat visar att Bender-testet och Koppitz poängsystem har god validitet som ett visuomotoriskt mått och instrument i utvecklingsbedömningar. Det visar också att för tidigt födda har en mindre välutvecklad visuomotorik än fullgångna barn. Visuomotorik och högre kognitiv förmåga (främst IQ) uppvisar ett starkt positivt samband i båda grupperna. Resultaten visar även att hyperaktivitet utgjorde en extra riskfaktor hos de för tidigt födda barnen, vilket kan indikera att hyperaktiviteten har en annan dynamik än hos fullgångna barn.

The Bender-Gestalt test is one of the most widely used psychological tests in clinical practice. However, very few empirical studies have investigated its projective use with adults. The purpose of the present study was to replicate a study conducted by Sellbom et al. (2001), which examined distortions of the Bender-Gestalt hypothesized to measure antisocial, impulsive, and depressive characteristics. It was found that the findings in Sellbom et al. (2001) were partially replicated, indicating that certain distortions, especially in conjunction, were significantly related to antisocial characteristics. The author suggests that the Bender-Gestalt could potentially be used as a screening measure for antisocial characteristics, but not to measure impulsive and depressive characteristics. / Department of Psychological Science