A Neuropsychological Approach to the Rorschach in Patients with Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Abstract

This paper presents two neuropsychological approaches to using the Rorschach test with patients diagnosed with Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT). The first approach examined Rorschach variables from the Comprehensive System (CS) within the context of the cardinal neuropsychological deficits. The second approach illustrated a "process approach" to scoring linguistic errors and perseverations on the Rorschach test via the introduction of a new scale. DAT patients were significantly different from normal comparison participants on selected CS variables but were not significantly different on CS measures of deviant verbalization and perseverations. Significant differences between the two groups were observed for linguistic errors and perseverations when the Rorschach protocols were rescored using the new scale. Furthermore, the types of linguistic and perseveration differences observed on the Rorschach test might be specific to the characteristic deficits of DAT. The findings are interpreted within a neuropsychological framework and are offered as support for the use of the Rorschach as a neuropsychological problem-solving test.