< Back to front page
Text size
–
+
Do Rorschach tests work?
A brouhaha erupted recently when Wikipedia published the 10 original images created by the Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach and deployed ever since in the famous "Rorschach test." (In Inkblot No. 2, do you see two red-hatted gnomes giving each other high-fives, or -- well, something more sinister or sexual?) Critics of Wikipedia's decision not to remove the images argued that if they became widely known future Rorschach tests would be compromised.
The debate is beside the point, argues Wray Herbert, in Newsweek. That's because, he says, the Rorschach test has never produced psychologically useful data …
About brainiac What's happening in the world of ideas.
contributors
Joshua Rothman is a graduate student and Teaching Fellow in the Harvard English department, and an Instructor in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He teaches novels and political writing.
