AM ANALYSIS OP THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE OH THE REVISED BENDER VISUAL-MOTOR GESTALT TEST AMD SCORES QM THE WBCHSLBR INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILBRIM APPROVED: iL f Majir 'Processor / Qrz Minor Professor 1*3- ^ Q- Director of "tJfc'e JJepa^tment of Psychology <71 Dean of the Graduate School
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AM ANALYSIS OP THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE OH THE
REVISED BENDER VISUAL-MOTOR GESTALT TEST AMD SCORES
QM THE WBCHSLBR INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILBRIM
APPROVED:
i L f
Majir 'Processor
/ Qrz Minor Professor
1*3-
^ Q-
Director of "tJfc'e JJepa^tment of Psychology
<71 Dean of the Graduate School
AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE ON THE
REVISED BENDER YISUAL-MOTOR GESTALT TEST AND SCORES
ON THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN
THESIS
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State University in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Dsgree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
By
John William Porter, B. A.
Denton, Texas
August, 1966
TABLE OP CONTENT3
Page
LIST OF TABLES . iv
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Statement of the Problem and Hypotheses Significance of the Study Basic Assumptions Definition of Terms Related Research
i i , piocioyiis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Procedures for Collecting Data Procedure for Treating Data
III. RESULTS 20
Presentation of Data
IV. DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY . 2?
Discussion Summary
BIBLIOGRAPHY 35
iii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
I. Mean Scores and Standard Deviations for Verbal Scale, Performance Seal#, and Full Seal® IQ*a m tbe VISC 21
III. Mean Scores and Standard Deviations of WISC Subtest Scores and Bender Scores • . , • 23
IV. Correlations Between Bender Scores and WISC Subtest Scores 24
iv
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
One of the most widely used techniques in the area of
psychodiagnostics is the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
(Bender, 193S). It has been applied to a variety of diagnostic
problems ranging from detection of neurological dysfunction
to delineation of personality factors and defense mechanisms.
The test consists of a series of stimulus patterns called
gestalten which were adapted from Wertfaeimer*s original
patterns. Wertheiraer, one of the first proponents of Gestalt
Psychology, used visual-motor stimulus patterns to demonstrate
the principles of perceptual organization which have become
extensively used psychological concepts. Bender indicates the
major thesis upon which the test was constructed:
The gestalt function nay be defined as that function of the integrated organism whereby it1 responds to a given constellation of stimuli as a whole, the re-sponse itself being a constellation, or pattern, or gestalt. All integrative processes within the nervous system occur in constellations, or patterns, or gestalten (2).
Bender found that the gestalt function in humans in-
volves maturational patterns, and that Wertheiraer*s gestalt
principles did not hold for young children, psyehoties, and
brain injured subjects. Bender (10) states that the gestalt
function "matures from global primitive abstract phenomena by
endogenous differentiation into the construction of a pattern
on a background.« Consequently, the subject's responses to a
technique such as the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt feat (here-
afters BGT) gives an indication of the larel of maturation of
the gestalt function in the subject# Bender (2) discusses
various levels of maturation of gestalt functioning with ref-
erence to the chronological age of the subject. From age two
years, sax months to age four years Werthei®er*s gestalt prin-
ciples have limited applicability to the genesis of gestalt
in the maturation of the child's visual-motor patterns* Within
this age range perseveration is common and responses are often
tween ages four and seven there appears to be a rapid differ-
entiation of form. From studies with young children Bender
(2) concludes that "visual motor patterns arise from motor be-
havior that is modified by the characteristics of the visual
field#* The general theoretical orientation upon which classical
interpretation of the BGT is based involves the principle
that modes of perception and motoric response are progres-
sively modified through maturational development of the organism.
The final form of these perceptual modes in the normally func-
tioning adult is held to be in accordance with the principles
of gestalt proposed by Wertheimer.
The ten major principles of maturation of gestalten are
explicated by Bender as follows!
1# Vortical movement gives rise to the most prim-itive Gestalt formations and their derivatives, such as circles and loops# It is biologically determined in the optic field. Movement is directional# clockwise or counter-clockwise and related to left-right orientation,
2, Foreground-background differentiation is the first step in the construction of the perceived object#
3. Horizontal plane or direction is an early or primitive experience# It is a vector and has direction* dextrad or sinistrad#
4* Control or inhibition of the above three action
fatterns constructs a concrete globe, circle, in®, organizing the visual field into foreground and background, delineating objects and separating parts from each other#
5# Masses and sequences are primary to concrete form or specific number.
6# V«rticallsation arises concurrent with body schema maturation or the postural model derived from the shift from the prone to the upright posture of the body*
7. Form complexities arise from parts of circles (arcs) and concentric circles and the directional movement of circles*
6* Crossed lines, diagonal relations and corner for-mations are the last level of maturation, occurring at about six to eight years# This is the age also of "readiness* in acquiring reading and writing#
9# There is, of course, a continuous interplay be-tween all of these feature®#
10# The plasticity or lack of stabilization of bound-aries in a living organism always permits of variability and changes including regression# The younger or more primitive the organism the more
flastic and facile is the Gestalt function # # # # 10, p# xiii)#
The normal child becomes progressively aiore able to exe-
cute correct visual-motor patterns in the perceptiondand
reproduction of a gestalt as he matures, and Bender (2) gives
examples of the ability to reproduce stimulus figures which
are characteristic of various age groups of children# Perhaps
because of the similarity between Bender*s maturational level
of gestalt function and the mental age concept involved in
intelligence testing, there have been attempts to apply the
BGT to the estimation of intelligence# Much of the literature
about the BGT posits the assumption that intelligence is a
significant factor influencing performance on the BGT* Given
such an assumption, and the similarity between Bender*a
raaturational levels and mental age, it is a natural step to
propose the estimation of intellectual functioning from BGT
protocols# There i3 some question concerning the applicability
of the BGT in the determination of intellectual functioning,
and it was the primary purpose of this study to investigate
several aspects of the problem#
Many of the ideas concerning the development of gestalt
functioning which were proposed by Bender as necessary to the
proper interpretation of the BGT seem to have been abandoned
by modern clinician!?. Specific aspects of gestalt en repro-
duction, such as rotation of the stimulus figure, have been
investigated in isolation from the original gestalt principles
upon 'which the test is .based. One of the major current trends
in the interpretation of BGT protocols involves the develop-
ment of objective scoring systems which allow a numerical
score to be assigned to the subject*s responses# Even though
such objective scoring systems may exclude recognition of
some interpretable aspects of a BGT protocol, they have the
advantage of allowing statistical studies to be made of the
relationships obtaining between BGT performance and other
aspects of human behavior, fhe scoring system with which
this study is concerned is the Developmental Scoring System
devised by Koppitz 17)*
The Developmental Scoring System, which is a somewhat
modified version of the Initial Scoring System, contains thirty
mutually exclusive scoring items which are scored as either
present or absent. Using the Developmental Scoring System as
an index of BGT performance and the Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children (Wechsler, 1949) as a generally accepted
criterior measure for intellectual functioning, an attempt was
made through an analysis of the relationships between these
scored tests to determine the extent of applicability of the
4. Griffith, R. M. and Taylor, Vivian H., "Incidence of Bender-Gestalt Figure Rotation,8 Journal of Consulting Psychology. XXIV (I960), 139-190.
5. Hutt, Max L. and Briakin, Gerald J., The Clinical Use of the Revised Bender Gestalt Test. New York, Grune and Stratton, X&SSI
6. Keller, J. E., "The Use of the Bender Gestalt Maturational Level Scoring System with Mentally Handicapped Children," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. XXV (1955), 563-573*
7. Koppitz, Elisabeth Munsterberg, The Bender Gestalt Test for Young Children. New York, Grune and Stratton, 19&4.
d* Koppitz, Elizabeth Munsterberg, "Relationships Between the Bender Gestalt Test and the Wechaler Intelligence Test for^Children."^Journal of Clinical Psychology. XIV
9. Pascal, G. R« and Buttell, Barbara J., The Bender' Gestalt Tests Its Qualification and Validity for Aciu.lta. 'Hew" forK, tJrune and Stratton7~l9Tn
10. Tolor, Alexander and Schulberg, Herbert C., An Evaluation of the Bender-Gestalt Test, Springfield, Charles C. fHomas, 19S3. ~
16
CHAPTER II
PROCEDURES
Procedures for Collecting Data
The children whose teat data were selected for this study
ware children referred to the educational clinic of a large
Southwestern school. The children were referred to the clinic
for problems in the areas of learning, behavior, retardation,
and emotional adjustment* In the actual selection of case
folders to be used, several file drawers were randomly selected
and all case folders of children who met the criteria for the
study were used* Since the filing system in this clinic is
based on the date of referral, consecutively filed case
folders have only temporal proximity to referral date in com-
mon* The sample of cases thus obtained was assumed to random-
sample the total number of cases recorded at the clinic. Of
those case folders examined no ease folder of a child who met
the study's criteria was rejected* Criteria for the selection
In the manual for the W1SC. correlations are reported between
subtest scores and the Full Seal® IQ, and at age ten years,
six months, six of the eleven subtests used in this study
have higher correlations with the Full Scale IQ than the cor-
relation between BGT scores and IQ found in this study.
While no clinician would consider using only one of these
subtests as a valid measure of intelligence, such a practice
might lead to better estimates of Full Scale IQ*s than using
the BGT scores as estimators# There is also soiae doubt about
the meaningfulness of a single numerical score as an index of
intellectual functioning. With the Developmental Scoring
System the score obtained for a given child is often a one
digit number, and it is difficult to imagine a useful repre-
sentation of complex cognitive functioning which is composed
of such a limited bit of raw data. While the degree of re-
lationship between BGT scores and WISC scores obtained in
27
2B
this study would allow one to predict WI3C scores with greater
accuracy than if no relationship had been found, errors of
estimate are still relatively large# Perhaps the degree of
relationship between the two tests is sufficient for using
the BGT as a very crude measure of intellectual functioning,
but great caution must be used if such a practice is followed*
Eather than relate the discussion of the results of this
study to specific previous investigations of the same general
area, the conclusions of Tolor and Schulberg concerning the
applicability of the BGT as an estimator of intelligence will
be presented# The conclusions of Tolor and Schulberg, after
an extensive review of the research on the BGT. are summarized mmm^mW
in the following statement.
In reviewing the scattered and rather meager evidence available regarding the effect of intelligence on Bender functioning, these reviewers have been led to conclusions somewhat contrary to those generally accepted until now. Billingslea's {in press) con-tention that the Bender-Qestalt Test is useful in estimating the intelligence of children ranging from four to twelve years has been found to be true solely when the childego functioning is at least moderately impaired# In the absence of any such ego impairment, however, visual-motor functioning has been found to be unrelated to intellectual ef-ficiency in children* It would therefore be invalid to estimate the Intellectual level of a normally adjusted child of average intelligence from the Bender-Gestalt Test (1)•
It was assumed in this study that the use of a clinic
population would lead to higher correlations between BGT
scores and WI8C scores than would the use of a "normal" sample#
However, Tolor and Schulberg assume that there ia no relation-
ship between visual-motor functioning and intellectual
29
functioning with normally adjusted children of average intel-
ligence# Although the present study provides no experimental
basis for disagreement with the conclusion of Tolor and
Schulberg, it seems likely that a relationship exists between
visual-motor ability and intelligence despite those studies
cited which seem to affirm no relationship# Since most of
the scoring systems used to assess BGT performance are error
scores, EOT protocols produced by subjects having well de-
veloped visual-motor skills cluster in a small range near
zero* Consequently, correlations between BGT scores and
measures of intelligence would necessarily be small for groups
with good visual-motor functioning due to the restriction in
range of one of the variables# The position taken in this
investigation is that there is less relationship between BGT
performance and intelligence with "normals'* than with clinic
groups, but the relationship is assumed to exist to some de-
gree in all groups#
It will be recalled that the first hypothesis of this
study concerned the relationship between WISC scale IQ and
BGT scores# One of the bases for this hypothesis was the
assumption that effectively rational behavior must be mediated
by a relatively accurate perception of external stimuli and
a concomitant organization or framework within which these
perceptions must be meaningfully related# It was assumed
that the successful resolution of problems, the completing
of tasks, and the obtaining of goals with which every
30
individual is faced demand progressively greater perceptual
discrimination and differentiation as the individual matures.
The individual is faced with the problem of distinguishing
between relatively similar aspects of his environment in
order to deal more effectively with the environment. There
is considerable prima facie justification for the assumption
that rational and effective manipulation of environmental
variables is dependent upon relatively accurate perception of
these variables by the individual. Rational and effective
behavior is then seen as partially dependent upon accurate
perceptual processes, and it is assumed that performance on
IQ tests such as WISC is an indication of the individual*s
ability to think rationally and act effectively* Consequently,
if the BGT score reflects perceptual accuracy, one would
expect that the capacity to score high on the WISC would be
concomitant with the capacity to perform well on the BGT.
The above arguments lead to the conclusion that the
capacity to perform well on the BGT and similar tests measur-
ing perceptual and perceptual-motor development may be a
necessary but not a sufficient cause for high scores on IQ
tests. The data in this investigation lend some support to
this informal hypothesis. From the above arguments one would
expect to find low BGT error scores paired with both high and
low IQ scores, while high IQ scores would be paired only with
low BG£ error scores. Indeed, for the sample of children
used in this study, such was the situation. BGT protocols
31
haying no errors were paired, with IQ scores which ranged
from 66 to 125, while no child with a Full Scale IQ of more
than 110 made sore than three errors on the BGT»
The second hypothesis of the study concerned the relation-
ship between BQT scores and Picture Completion, Block Design,
and Object Assembly subtest scores# The primary theoretical
basis for this hypothesis involves the assumption that the
three subtests mentioned all require direct visual perception
of stimuli as does the BGT# The Block Design subtest involves
the reproduction of perceived visual patterns, and thus is
highly similar in structure to the BGT« Picture Completion
depends on visual concentration to a large extent and involves
the ability to visually perceive small details in a stimulus
configuration# Object Assembly involves both perceptual and
motor skills. Thus, these three subtests demand many of the
same perceptual and pareeptual~motor skills which are utilized
in BGT performance#
It is not immediately apparent why subtests such as In-
formation and Similarities would be significantly correlated
with BGT scores unless there is some "general intelligence"
factor which would affect both types of performance. There
is some evidence that aphasia is detectable on BQT protocols,
and it is possible that on a neurological level there is a
relationship between symbolic and associational processes and
gestalt functioning# Such a relationship might account for
the apparent relationship of the BGT scores to scores of sub-
tests requiring primarily verbal and conceptual abilities-
32
la summary, intelligence appears to fee a significant
factor in BGT performance, but much of the variance of the
BGT scores is not explainable on the basis of intellectual
functioning• Similarly, visual-motor coordination as assessed,
by the JSCS* is almost certainly a significant factor in perfor-
mance on IQ tests* The critical aspect of the problem to be
considered is the strength of association between the two types
of measures, and the data in this study lead to the tentative
conclusion that the degree of relationship, while found to be
statistically significant, is insufficient to warrant substi-
tution of the BGT for accepted measures of intellectual
functioning. It ia hoped that future research will add greater
clarification of the possible uses of the BGT in clinical
settings, and more explicitly delineate those aspects of human
behavior about which inferences may be made fro® BOX protocols*
Summary
A study was made to determine the relationship between
performance on the Bender Visual-Motor Qesta.lt Test and scores
on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, The purpose
of the investigation was to assess the applicability of the
BGT as an estimator of intelligence. WISC scores were taken
as a criterion measure of intelligence, and correlations be-
with 8GT scores was accepted# The correlation coefficients
between BGT scores and Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale
IQ scores was found to be significant at the 1 per cent level
of confidence# The hypothesis that the Picture Completion,
Block Design, and Object Assembly subtest scores would be
negatively correlated with BGT scores at a significant level
was also accepted, with the correlations found to be signifi-
cant at the 1 per cent level of confidence. The statistical
analysis revealed that all of the eleven subtests on the WISC
had significant negative correlations when correlated with
BGT scores» It was concluded that scores obtained with the
Developmental Scoring System for BGT protocols are significantly
related to IQ and subtest scale scores on the VX3C« However,
it was not felt that the degree of relationship between these
two tests necessarily warrants the assumption that the BGT
is applicable as an estimator of intelligence.
CHAPTER IV BIBLIOGRAPHY
1* Tolor, Alexander and Schulberg, Herbert C.t An Evaluation of the Bender-Gestalt Test. Springfield. cKarles C# wc*SiSr:j!i Tr'rr rL''" ",l "'ur -i,; u :ii rrj|
1 D.OMS * X7O 3 *
34
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Bender, Lauretta, A Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Its Clinical Use, New York7 The American Qrthopsychiatric Association, Inc., 193S.
Hutt, Max L. and Briskin, Gerald J*, The Clinical Use of the Revised Bender Gestalt Test, flew York, Grune and Stratton, I960•
Koppits, Elisabeth Munsterberg, The Bender Gestalt Test for Young Children. New York, Grune and Stratton, 1964*
McNeaar, Quins, Psychological Statistics. lew York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1963#
Pascal, G. R. and Suttell. Barbara J., The Bender Gestalt pg|f* III and Validity for Adults. New York, Grune and Stratton7x951.
Tolor, Alexander and Schulberg, Herbert C*, An Evaluation of the Bender-'Gestalt Teat. Springfield, cliaries C. 'Thomas,
>3*
Articles
Abramson, H. A., Waxenberg, S. £., Levin®, A., Kaufman, M» R., and Kornetsky, C., "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD 25)J XIII* Effect on Bender Gestalt Test Performance,11 Journal of Psychology. XL (1955), 341-349•
Goldberg, F* M«, •The Performance of Schizophrenic, Retarded, and loraal Children on the Bender Gestalt Test," American Journal of Mental Beficieacy. LXI (1957)> 54^-555•
Griffith, E# M. and Taylor, Vivian H., "Incidence of Bender-Gestalt Figure Rotations." Journal of Consulting Psy-chology. XXIV (I960), 1^9-lWI ^
Keller, J. E., '"'The Use of the Bender Gestalt Maturations! Scoring system with Mentally Handicapped Children," American Journal of Orthoosychiatry. XX? (1955), 563-37JT
35
36
Koppita, Elizabeth Munsterberg, "Relationships Between the Bender-Geatalt feat and the• ITechsier Intelligence Test j or CMXAren.* Journal of Clinical Psychology. II? T B 5 W r w ~ 4 i K