Question

A controversy erupted in 2009 when images of the Rorschach test (a personality test) cards were posted on the Internet website Wikipedia, including information about common responses to each inkblot. Discuss whether information regarding psychological tests like the Rorschach should be kept secret or released to the public. Consider these questions: If you keep the details of psychological tests secret does it prevent the general public from questioning their validity? Do psychologists have an obligation to be transparent whenever possible? Is publishing information about the psychological tests the same as publishing answers to the GRE?

Answer 1

Publishing information about the common responses psychological tests as Rorschach ink blot test on a public domain is different from publishing answers to GRE. Every time the GRE would come up with new set of questions that will have different set of answers, but the items of the psychological test remains the same once constructed, hence, publishing the common responses of them means responses for the items to get manipulated, and thus, the test would fail in it's purpose of measuring the psychological dimension for which it is prepared.

Rorschach ink blot test is a controversial test being highly subjective, ambiguous and hence, the validity and reliability of it is in question. The psychologists differ, some consider it to be pseudoscience and nonsense, whereas, for some it is a projective test that uncovers the unconscious mind. Psychologists have a liability to be transparent when required regarding the validity and reliability of the test that they are taking to measure the psyhological aspect.