Cat

Children Apperceptiion Test (C.A.T.)

1. Children Apperception
Test
(C) COPYRIGHTS RESERVED::
DR. SHAINI VARGHESE

2. Let’s create stories.....
Before beginning with the topic, let’s have a try out with the test itself.
There is a sequence of pictures with the stated situations.
Observe the pictures carefully.
Imagine a story on each situation which will have a beginning, middle and
end.
Also figure out the relation between/among characters.
Express what they might be feeling , thinking or talking.

3. Baby chicks seated around a table
and an adult chicken appearing in
the background....

4. A large bear and a baby bear playing
tug of war....

5. A lion sitting on a throne Being
watched by a mouse Through a
peephole.....

6. A mother kangaroo with a joey in her
pouch and an older Joey beside her...

7. Two baby bears sleeping on a small
bed in front of a larger bed containing
two bulges...

8. A cave in which two large bears are
lying down next to a baby bear....

9. A ferocious tiger leaping toward a
monkey who is trying to climb a tree...

10. Two adult monkeys sitting on a sofa
while another adult monkey talking to
a baby monkey....

11. A rabbit sitting on a child’s bed
viewed through a doorway....

12. A puppy being spanked by an adult
dog in front of a bathroom....

13. CAT: A projective test
What are projective tests?
Projective tests are personality assessments that present ambiguous visual stimuli
to the subject and ask the subject to respond with whatever comes to mind. In
projective techniques, respondents are asked to interpret the behaviour of others. In
interpreting the behaviour of others, respondents indirectly project their own
motivations, beliefs, attitudes or feelings into the situation.

14. Introduction to CAT:
CATwasdevelopedbyLeopoldBellakandSonyaBellakin1948.TheCATisa
projectivemethodorapperceptivemethodwhichhelpsininvestigating
personalitybystudyingthedynamicmeaningfulnessoftheindividualdifferences
inperceptionofstandardstimuli.
Apperceptionmeansdefiniterecognition.TheoriginalideaofCATwasproduced
byDr.ErnstKris.Krispointedouthowwecouldexpectchildrentoidentify
themselvesmuchmorereadilywithanimalsthanwithpersons.Childrencan
easilyprojecttoanimals.Thus,thepicturesontheCAToftenaddressthemanner
inwhichindividualsinteractwiththeirenvironmentintermsofneedfulfillment.
Anindividuallyadministered,appropriateforchildrenaged3to10years.

15. Purpose:
TheCATisusedtoassesspersonality,levelofmaturity,and,often,psychological
healthofachild.
Thetheoryisthatachild’sresponsestoaseriesofdrawingsofanimalsor
humansinfamiliarsituationsarelikelytorevealsignificantaspectsofachild’s
personality.
Someofthesedimensionsofpersonalityincludelevelofrealitytestingand
judgment,controlandregulationofdrives,defenses,conflicts,andlevelof
autonomy.

16. Description:
TheoriginalCATfeatured10picturesofanimalsinsuchhumansocialcontexts
asplayinggamesorsleepinginabed.Today,thisversionisknownastheCATor
theCAT-A(foranimal).Animalswerechosenforthepicturesbecauseitwas
believedthatyoungchildrenrelatebettertoanimalsthanhumans.Eachpictureis
presentedbyatestadministratorintheformofacard.
Thepicturesaremeanttoencouragethechildrentotellstoriesrelatedto
competition,illness,injuries,bodyimage,familylife,andschoolsituations.

17. Administration:
TheCAT,whichtakes20–45minutestoadminister,isconductedbyatrainedpr
ofessional—psychiatrist,psychologist,socialworker,teacherorspeciallytrainedpediatrician—ina
clinical,research,oreducationalsetting.Thetestmaybeuseddirectlyintherapyoras
aplaytechniqueinothersettings.
Aftercarefullyestablishingrapportwiththechild,theexaminershowsthechildonecardafter
anotherinaparticularsequence(althoughfewerthantencardsmaybeusedattheexaminer's
discretion)andencouragesthechildtotellastory—withabeginning,middle,andend—aboutthe
characters.Theexaminermayaskthechildtodescribe,forexample,whatleduptothescene
depicted,theemotionsofthecharacters,andwhatmighthappeninthefuture.
The CAT test manual suggests that the administrator should consider the following variables
when analyzing a child’s story about a particular card:
. . -The protagonist (main character) of the story;
-The primary needs of the protagonist;
-The relationship of the main character to his or her personal environment..

18. Scoring:
InaprojectivetestsuchastheCAT,thereisnorightorwronganswer.Thusthere
isnonumericalscoreorscaleforthetest.
Thetestadministratorrecordstheessenceofeachofthestoriestoldand
indicatesthepresenceorabsenceofcertainthematicelementsontheform
provided.
AsintheTAT,eachstoryiscarefullyanalyzedtouncoverthechild'sunderlying
needs,conflicts,emotions,attitudes,andresponsepatterns.TheCAT'screators
suggestaseriesoftenvariablestoconsiderwheninterpretingtheresults.These
variablesincludethestory'smajortheme,themajorcharacter'sneeds,drives,
anxieties,conflicts,fears,andthechild'sconceptionoftheexternalworld.

19. Uses:
TheCAT,isdesignedforuseinclinical,educational,andresearchsettings,
Todiscoverthechild’sstructureofpersonality,hisdynamicmodeofreactingtohis
problemsandthemannerhewouldhandlehisproblemofdevelopment.
Thepicturesalsodrawoutachild’sanxieties,fearsandpsychologicaldefenses.
Thechild’sstructureandhisdynamicmethodofreactingtoandhandlinghis
problemsofgrowth.

20. Thank You!!!!
Feedback suggestions are welcome....
E-mail Id: [email protected]