The Bender-Gestalt as a method of personality assessment with adolescents

Patterns and Predictors of Performance on the Bender-Gestalt and the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration in a Sample of Behaviorally and Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents

A sample of 78 behaviorally and emotionally disturbed adolescents was used to evaluate the degree of similarity between the Bender-Gestalt and the VMI-3R and to investigate the factors involved in performance on these visual-motor tests, using measures of cognitive ability and a self-report personality measure. Results indicated a signify cant relationship between age and VMI-3R scores, which reflects the sensitivity of this measure to continued visual-motor development beyond age 11. VMI-3R performance was correlated with most cognitive ability subtests, which, in conjunction with age, accounted for 57% of the variance. Bender performance showed less developmental sensitivity and considerably fewer relationships with comparison measures. Findings are discussed in terms of the utility of each measure with adolescents and the implications for prediction of performance.

Relationships of objectively scored Bender variables with MMPI scores in an outpatient psychiatric population

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the Advanced Psychodiagnostic Interpretation system for the Bender Gestalt Test could reasonably predict the results of the most widely used objective measure of personality, the MMPI. Despite the widespread use of both tests, no previous studies could be found which correlated actual Bender scores with MMPI results, arising partly from the lack of a well-accepted, reliable, and objective scoring system for the Bender. The study compared the performance of 279 adult psychological outpatients on both the MMPI and Bender. The 55 Bender scorable points, which are seen most frequently in the outpatient population, were factor analyzed to yield 17 factors which were correlated with the MMPI. Significant multiple correlations were found between the Bender factors and 10 of 12 MMPI scales, with significant correlations ranging from .36 to .47. The Bender overall was able to discriminate moderately high scorers on the MMPI from low scorers. The overall results suggested that the Advanced Psychodiagnostic Interpretation scoring system includes measures that reflect general psychopathology and correlate with the MMPI as well as more specific content that is independent of the MMPI scales. The potential of this scoring system and joint use of the MMPI and Bender in personality assessment are discussed. Replication with a larger sample than 279 is encouraged for these 55 Bender and 12 MMPI items.

Koppitz scoring system as a measure of Bender-Gestalt performance in behaviorally and emotionally disturbed adolescents

Data are presented to assess the use of the Koppitz scoring system for the Bender-Gestalt Test in a sample (N = 87) of behaviorally and emotionally disturbed adolescents. Results suggested that age was modestly related to Koppitz Developmental scores, an indication that visual-motor skills continue to develop beyond age 11. Scores were related to spatial perception skills as measured on the WISC-R. Gender, primary psychiatric diagnosis, educational tests, and MMPI scores were not related to Bender performance. Findings are discussed in terms of a need for additional research into the utility of the Bender as a measure of visual-motor skills in adolescents.