Formal Characteristics of Thematic Apperception Test Narratives of Adult Patients with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. A Preliminary Study
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Abstract
This study explored the usefulness of a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT, Murray, 1943) narrative scoring system to detect signs of autistic information processing. A total of 27 patients with an Autism Spectrum Disor- der were compared to a control group (N = 67) of patients with other psychiatric disorders. As an external indi- rect measure of social functioning two dimensions of the Social Cognition and Object Relation Scale (SCORS; Westen,1985) were used: Capacity for Emotional and Moral Investment in Relationships and Understanding of Social Causality. TAT narratives were rated on the prevalence of eight phenomena, as proposed by Edrisi and Eurelings-Bontekoe (2009). Autistic patients showed a lower level of social insight and were particularly char- acterized by high scores on Weak Central Coherence, Jumping to Conclusions and Difficulty with describing/ interpreting movements. Results provide preliminary support for the usefulness of the TAT scoring system, but need to be replicated using larger samples and blind scoring.
- APA (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of psychiatric disorders IV-TR. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
- Ackerman, S. J., Hilsenroth, M. J., Clemence, A. J., Weatherill, R., & Fowler, J. C. (2001). Convergent validity of Rorschach and TAT scales of object relations. Journal of Personality Assesment, 77, 295-306. doi:10.1207/S15327752JPA7702_11
- Baron-Cohen, S. (2000) Theory of mind and autism: A fifteen year review. In S. Baron-Cohen, H. Tager-Flusberg, & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Understanding other minds. Perspectives from developmental cognitive neuroscience (pp. 3-21). Oxford: University Press.
- Beaumont, R., & Newcombe, P. (2006). Theory of mind and central coherence in adults with High-Functioning Autism or Asperger Syn- drome. Autism, 10, 365-382. doi:10.1177/1362361306064416
- Cicchetti, D. V. (1994). Guidelines, criteria, and rules of thumb for evaluating normed and standardized assessment instruments in psy- chology. Psychological Assessment, 6, 284-290. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.6.4.284
- Cohen, J. (1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sci- ences. New York: Academic Press.
- Conklin, A., & Westen, D. (2001). Thematic apperception test. In W. Dorfman, & M. Hersen (Eds.), Understanding psychological as- sessment: Perspectives on individual differences (pp. 107-133). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
- Cramer, P. (1999). Future directions for the Thematic Apperception Test. Journal of Personality Assessment, 72, 74-92. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa7201_5
- Edrisi, M., & Eurelings-Bontekoe, E. H. M. (2009). Gifted, but hampered; early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorders among adults by means of clinical interview, personality questionnaires and the Thematic Apperception Test. Wetenschappelijk Tijdschrift Autisme, 2, 44-53.
- Edrisi, M., & Eurelings-Bontekoe, E. H. M. (2011). Doubts about the diagnosis. In R. Borra, R. van Dijk and R. Verboom (Eds.), Cultuur en psychodiagnostiek (pp. 185-197). Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum. doi:10.1007/978-90-313-8580-5_13
- Eurelings-Bontekoe, E. H. M., Luyten, P., & Snellen, W. M. (2009). Validation of the theory driven profile interpretation of the Dutch Short form of the MMPI using the TAT Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 155-165. doi:10.1080/00223890802634274
- Happé, F., & Frith, U. (2006). The weak coherence account: De- tail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 5-25. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0