Rorschach correlates of activity level in high school children.

Abstract

Several recent studies have been concerned with hyperkinesis in mentally deficient and brain damaged subjects. Reliable methods of measuring activity have been established (Foshee, 1958). The relationship of activity level to visual (Cromwell & Foshee, 1960; Gardner, Cromwell, & Foshee, 19S9) and auditory stimuli (Spradlin, Foshee, & Cromwell, 1959) have been investigated. Other investigators have made significant developments in the measurement of human activity level (Ellis & Pryer, 1959;Schulman & Reisman, 1959) and have raised some question about comparability among different operational measures of activity level.The present study focuses on the relation of perceptual variables, as assessed by the Rorschach, to "resting" activity level in normal children as measured by the Foshee ballistographic technique. The initial hypothesis for the study is that activity level will vary with Erlebnistypus, or experience balance. Specifically, the so-called introverted individual with movement response in excess of the sum of color responses (M > 5 C) would be expected to be more responsive to thought-process stimuli and therefore lower in motor activity. The extratensive individual with S C > M, described as more responsive to external stimuli, would be expected to have more motor activity.This working hypothesis is in general agreement with those made in other related studies; however, the major focus has been on M in the past. Hurwitz (1954) obtained behavioral ratings of activity level of children by teachers, parents, and therapists. The hypoactives had more M on their Rorschach 1 This project was partially supported by NIMH Grants M-2311 and MY-4391.2 Chief Psychologist at Tennessee Clover Bottom Home during the course of this project. Now Superintendent, Sunland Training School in Lee County; Ft. Myers, Florida.

Three dimensions of naturalness: An expanded definition of field research.

“…Examples of three kinds of rescheduling follow. First, a natural behavior may be elicited by the researcher without destroying its natural quality, for example, eye contact (Ashear & Snortum, 1971), activity level (Wolfensberger, Miller, Foshee, & Cromwell, 1962), or lateral eye movements (Gur, 1975). In such studies the measurement must be unobtrusive.…”