Validation of the Parent-Adult-Child (PAC-D) Projective Drawing test

This study examined the predictive validity of various projective drawing signs from the Parent-Adult-Child Drawing test developed by Turner (1988). The presence/absence of drawing signs believed to predict Transactional Analysis dynamics such as ego state strength and boundary disturbance were correlated with ego state scales from The Adjective Checklist and scales from the Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) Questionnaire. A cross-validation procedure was used to explore the generalizability of findings from two samples. College students enrolled in an Introductory Psychology course served as the Screening Sample whereas a group of mental health patients served as the Calibration Sample.;Although some of the hypothesized correlations between PAC-D projective drawing signs and ego state scales from the Adjective Checklist were supported, shrinkage between the two samples was excessive. Support was found for the use of additive models (of present signs) to measure subjects' ego states.;Significant differences between the two samples were found on ego state scales from the Adjective Checklist and most scales from the 16PF. Because of these differences the author suggests the use of two clinical samples when conducting cross-validational research on projective drawings.