Validating Panga Munthu Test and Porteus Maze Test (wooden form) in Zambia

This study aims at validating two non-verbal, non paper-and-pencil tests, namely Panga Munthu and Porteus Maze (wooden form) on the basis of age differentiation and school performance. The subjects included Zambian school children from an intellectually average group aged 7–8 years, 9–10 years and 11–12 years; and also 11–12 years-old bright and dull school children. The results show that the two tests differentiate the three age groups, but not the bright, average and dull 11–12 year old children. The tests in their present form thereby seem to measure some factor which matures with age, but they are not useful at predicting school performance. In Africa, especially rural Africa, intelligent behaviour is not usually measured by acadmic excellence. A study of the relationship between these tests and the African criteria for intelligence is recommended.     

Porteus Maze Q score as a measure of impulsivity.

The validity of the Q score (derived from the qualitative scoring of the Porteus Maze Test) as a measure of impulsivity was investigated by comparing the performance of high- and low-impulse groups. 80 Ss were employed and the Q score failed to differentiate high- from low-impulse institutionalized Ss, delinquent from nondelinquent Ss and extreme groups based on ratings. These findings are at variance with the claim that the Q score measures impulsivity.     

Response selection on the Rorschach Test

After discussion of some theoretical speculations concerning the nature of the Rorschach process, two experimental manipulations of the Rorschach task are presented. Three groups of normal (n = 6) and schizophrenic subjects (7 paranoid and 7 nonparanoid) participated. Their mean age was 30.7 yr. In the first experimental version of the Rorschach, simplified inkblots (sections of the standard cards) were used to verify the influence of stimulus complexity on response for the three groups. In the second, an experimental version of the Rorschach task was created to highlight the influence of the selection process among different associations to blots. To this end, a list including responses both of positive and negative form quality to each card, was provided each subject. Data are discussed, highlighting the minimal differences obtained by the experimental manipulations and relating these to theoretical speculations.