Sandplay: A validation study of sandplay as a projective technique

The study attempted to further validate the scoring system devised by Caproni (1988) for the Sandplay Test, primarily through comparison with Urist's Mutuality of Autonomy Scale--MOA (1977) for the Rorschach Test and secondarily with Cassel's Child Behavior Rating Scale--CBRS. The Sandplay scoring system was designed to assess object relations in young children, thereby filling a significant gap in the existing array of projective measures.; A normative sample of 29 subjects (22 girls and 7 boys), ranging in age from 67 to 95 months, was obtained from families presumed to be lower middle class to upper middle class socioeconomic status. Correlations were predicted between the measures.; Trends and a correlation are reported between 3 of the Sandplay sub-dimensions and the MOA, providing support for confidence in the Sandplay Scale's capacity to measure object relations. The CBRS correlated with the MOA, but not with the Sandplay. No effects of age and gender were observed. The implications of these findings, along with suggestions for changes in the scoring system, are discussed.