This paper reviews a body of research on the author's Silver Drawing Test (SDT) and Draw A Story (DAS) art-based assessments, which span 40 years of development. The original impetus for the assessment is described and studies are reviewed that examined relationships between depression, abuse, and aggression; cognitive skills; interrater and…

Summarizes cross-cultural studies of cognitive skills, emotions, and self-images found in responses to drawing tasks by children, adolescents, and adults. Its aim is to find out whether cultural differences in scores on the Silver Drawing Test can illuminate cultural preferences and contribute to cultural practices. (Contains 21 references.) (GCP)

The Silver Drawing Test (SDT) and Draw A Story (DAS) test were designed to reveal a person's cognitive and emotional conditions. How these tests were developed and some of the research concerning their efficacy are detailed in this report. It opens with an overview of the SDT. The report then discusses recent studies on the test: "Sex and Age…

It is generally accepted that males are superior to females in spatial ability. To test this assumption, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT) was administered to students 12 to 15 years old (33 girls and 33 boys) attending public schools in Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania. No significant differences in spatial ability were found. (KW)

The purpose of this study was to find out if the Draw a Story (DAS) assessment can be used as a screening technique to identify children and adolescents at risk for aggression. Four art therapists presented the DAS tasks to 30 students with histories of aggressive behavior and to 181 students with no histories of aggression. After the 211…

Violent incidents occur frequently in schools and suicide ranks second to accidents as the leading cause of death among adolescents. The purpose of this presentation is to summarize the findings of six studies that used a stimulus-drawing task for access to fantasies, thoughts, and feelings. The studies were based on the theory that the task can…

Examines fantasies about the opposite sex expressed by 116 children, adolescents, and adults responding to the Drawing from Imagination task of the Silver Drawing Test of Cognition and Emotion. Results indicate that both males and females expressed more negative than positive feelings toward subjects of the opposite sex. Males were more negative.…

Examines assumption that art therapists can objectively identify self-images in drawings by troubled adolescents without talking to these youth. Findings suggest that discussion, though preferable, is not required for identifying self-images. Analysis of adolescents' drawings indicates that structured art assessment can be useful in evaluating…

This test, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT), evolved from a belief that the intelligence of children and adults who have poor language skills tends to be underestimated. The aim of the SDT is to provide an instrument for assessing the cognitive skills of individuals who have difficulty understanding others and making themselves understood. There are…