The Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1974, 1978) for scoring Rorschach responses is the most widely taught and most widely accepted system in use today. The complexity and labor- intensive nature of the CS makes the issue of scoring accuracy a central concern. Twenty-one graduate psychology students and 12 professionals scored 20 Rorschach responses drawn from normal and clinical protocols. In general. accuracy scores for both students and professionals were below acceptable levels. Accuracy scores were clearly better for the code categories of Location, DQ, Pairs, Popular, and Z than for Determinants, FQ, Content, and Special Scores. Responses from clinical protocols were subject to more error. The results suggest that high levels of scoring errors may exist in the field use of the CS. Training standards may need to be devised to insure scoring competence.

This study examined the relationship between self-reported life satisfaction of elderly persons and their motivation for competence as assessed on self-ratings and indirect measures of needs for achievement and affiliation. Behavioral data relating to frequency of engaging in mastery-type activities, social interactions and exercise were also gathered. This sample described themselves as content with their lives and healthy relative to normative levels. As predicted, there was a marked discrepancy between self-report and implicit measures of motivation, with self-reported motives being significantly correlated with satisfaction (i.e., r = .33 for Achievement and r = .30 for Affiliation) and implicit motives not significantly correlated with satisfaction. Needs for achievement and affiliation on the whole did not significantly correlate with actual life circumstances. The results suggest that competence motivation may play a small part in the contentment which older individuals feel in their lives.

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Standard and automated administrations of the Purdue Pegboard to 32 mentally retarded adults were compared in a test-retest paradigm. The automated administration involved videotape and audio input. Both types of administration yielded equivalent scores except on the assembly portion of the test where the difference favored the automated presentation. Spearman rank-order test-retest correlations over a 2-mo. period showed both types of test administration to be equally reliable.

One of the most important role‐defining functions of the clinical psychologist is personality assessment. Because of the wide range of personality assessment instruments available, there is a need for the clinician to be aware of their relative strengths and weaknesses. This article discusses the extent to which our present‐day tests of personality and theories of personality are helpful in guiding the clinician to meaningful conclusions and predictions. Indirect methods of assessment, such as the Rorschach and TAT, encourage the subject's free and open‐ended response to a small number of ambiguous stimuli so as to circumvent the subject's censorship of responses. To varying degrees, indirect methods have suffered from difficulties in establishing acceptable scoring systems and standardized norms. Direct measures, such as the MMPI, limit freedom of expression and assess fewer, but more clearly defined variables. Well‐defined and objective scoring and interpretation are considered major advantages of direct over indirect methods. However, direct methods are not without disadvantages. Some important concerns are limitations in subject's self‐knowledge, falsification of responses, and the development of response sets.