Social Media Ruins The Rorschach Test
The Rorschach test is used for examining the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of patients as their perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed.
New York Times had a report about Dr. James Heilman who posted all 10 pictures on the site, along with research about the most popular responses to each. Of course, it led to a heated debate whether this information should be accessed on Wikipedia or not.
The article is protected from editing until 6, August but there are serious debates on the talk page. One example:
All of the pictures of the Inkblot Cards need to be removed. Posting them contaminates this tool, The Rorschach Test. Posting the popular responses further contaminates this test. It is a simple case of scuppering a professional clinical tool and needs to be stopped. – Comment of Edith Meyers who has PhD in Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology.
It has recently been suggested to use the hide template that would hide the word associations, so only those who want to read them would be motivated to click “show”.
As a medical student and Wikipedia administrator, I believe such things happen. It’s impossible to hide that kind of information, but revealing these possible answers can really ruin the test itself. Solution? A hide template with a clear warning for possible patients might be one of them. What do you think?
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
It is frightening to think a medical professional would turn to Wikipedia for a medical source!
Why use wikipedia when WebMD has been available this whole time? Is it reliable or just as editable as the aforementioned wikipedia? Patients need at least one place on the web they feel comfortable and safe researching their conditions or those of their family; what URL would you recommend as a physician? Not as a replacement for MD treatment, only clarification as so many times we get home only to realize many questions we meant to ask when the Dr. says, “Do you have any questions?” If one is “shell-shocked” in the moment of course they do not, then later it is impossible to speak with his/her doctor w/o another appointment & co-pay! Regards