EFN

Psychologists are saying that Wikipedia’s publishing of the Rorschach inkblots could lower its effectiveness in diagnosing patients.

Psychologists are furious that 10 original Rorschach plates were reproduced online along with common answers for them. They say this is the same as giving out an answer sheet to the SAT for next year.

Since the series of ink blotches was developed by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach back in 1921, their U.S. copyright has expired and that is why Wikipedia was able published the full set.

In a national survey in the U.S., the Rorschach was ranked eighth among psychological tests used in outpatient mental health facilities. It is the second most widely used test by members of the Society for Personality Assessment, and it is requested in 25% of forensic assessment cases. The latest studies on the issue show that as many as 80 per cent of clinical psychologists still use the test. Some experts worry that Mr. Heilman’s decision to publish the Rorschach images and the most common responses could erode that.

“The more test materials are promulgated widely, the more possibility there is to game it,” Bruce Smith, president of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods, said in a New York Times article today on the flap. The Times noted that Smith added, “he did not mean that a coached subject could fool the person giving the test into making the wrong diagnosis, but rather ‘render the results meaningless.’”