Suicide and the Rorschach: A Rueful Postscript

A review of the Rorschach suicide literature written 10 years ago called for cross validation studies and the use of refined methodology in order to enhance the usefulness of the test as a device for the identification, prediction, and understanding of suicidal ideation and behavior. The present followup review was undertaken and it was concluded that careful and refined research methodology can somewhat enhance sensitivity of the Rorschach to suicidal activity. It was also concluded the replicative research has not supported previously promising Rorschach suicide indicators, suggesting that the Rorschach may be an inappropriate technique for assessing suicidal activity.     

Postscript: sortal concepts are fundamental for tracing identity

Our discussion with Rips, Blok, and Newman (2006; Blok, Newman, & Rips, in press; Rhemtulla & Xu, in press) has brought together theory and evidence from researchers in adult cognition and those in infant development. By this point, researchers all recognize that any theory of concepts of individuals must consider the evidence from infants' first concepts as well as explicit adult reasoning tasks. Despite this agreement, we continue to disagree on several fundamental issues.