How narrative source impacts convergence of ratings from the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method with psychotherapy process measures

The Impact of Different Thematic Apperception Test Administration Methods on Narrative Length and Story Richness as Measured by the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method (SCORS-G)

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is the second most commonly used performance-based task in clinical practice. However, traditional TAT administration is time-consuming and raises accessibility issues. This study examines the effect of administration modifications (i.e., examiner handwriting versus typing, examiner recording versus participant recording, and re-prompting versus no re-prompting) on narrative length and richness as measured by the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method (SCORS-G). A four-card TAT protocol was administered to 150 college students under one of five conditions. The resulting narratives were scored by two trained raters using the SCORS-G. MANOVA procedures showed (a) no significant differences between examiner handwriting versus typing; (b) the shortest, blandest narratives were produced when the examiner recorded the narratives without re-prompting; and (c) the longest, richest narratives were produced when the participant typed the narratives with re-prompts on the computer screen. Clinical and research implications and future directions will be discussed.

Longitudinal stability of Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method dimensional ratings, score ranges and narrative 'blandness' in a clinical sample

While understanding how internalized representations of others (i.e., object relations) change over the course of treatment is essential for treatment planning and evaluation of progress, few studies have examined the nature of these changes through repeated psychological assessments. In this study, we applied the SCORS-G to Thematic Apperception Test narratives for 61 adult patients with complex psychiatric problems undergoing residential treatment over an 18-month period. Over the course of treatment, patient representations of self and others became more complex, indicating improvements in mentalization. Further, an analysis of default ratings (i.e., an aspect of story 'blandness') suggested that certain shifts in SCORS-G dimensional scores over time were accounted for by greater degree of scorable content across time points, rather than changes specific to the dimensions themselves. Findings from novel exploratory analyses aimed at evaluating the test-retest reliability of both default rating proportion and several emerging alternative scoring approaches (including changes in minimum, maximum and range of scores on individual dimensions) are reported. While the magnitude of change across mean dimensional scores was found to be lower compared to those previously found in outpatient populations, our results suggest that the SCORS-G remains capable of detecting changes in mentalization capacities in individuals contending with longstanding, severe psychiatric impairment and personality-based psychopathology. Implications for treatment, assessment and future research are discussed.