A Comparison of Learning-Disabled Children and Non-Learning-Disabled Children on the Rorschach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between learning-disabled (LD) and non-learning-disabled (non-LD) students on the Rorschach inkblot test to help determine how differently the two groups process information. Using the cognitive triad in Exner’s Comprehensive System (CS), the variables consistent with past research and most representative of each of the three stages of the cognitive triad were investigated. The sample consisted of 62 schoolchildren in the age range of 7–12 years in the US state of California. Thirty-one children were identified as LD and were matched on age, gender, and ethnicity with a student who was identified as non-LD. The groups’ responses were compared using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine whether differences existed between the groups for each of the Rorschach variables F%, W+, XA%, and WSum6. This study concluded that LD children are unable to perceive, interpret, and synthesize information from their environment in a clear and realistic way when compared with their non-LD peers.