Dap Test

1. Introduction
This discussion focuses on Draw a person (DAP) projective test which is used with a multi-cultural diverse population especially children. It is important to understand and conceptualise the development, history and interpretation of the DAP in order to administer it effectively. This test assess kids and adolescents’ non-verbal intellect and screen for emotional and behavioral disorders.
2. History of DAP
Draw a man test was developed by Goodenough (1926) to evaluate children’s mental development. However, Machover (1949) saw a gap with Goodenough’s work and reviewed it together with the name change to Draw a person (DAP) test. The goal of this test was to evaluate psychological development. Scoring was adequately consistent

(2005) the main reason for researchers to utilise the DAP and its fame is that they found scoring developmental level of a human figure drawing and counting the number of details illustrated in it, offers prosperous catalogues of a child’s level of intellectual and psychometric intelligence. In addition to other use of DAP, most researchers used it to assess personality as seen in Koppitz (1968, 984) and this international method underlines the assessment of specific characteristics of the content and quality of sketches. Because of serious mental disturbances, some children are not easy to interview verbally, as such, psychometrists used the drawing to judge the child’s social and emotional capacities (Laak et al., 2005).
3. Psychometric properties of DAP
The validity and reliability of the DAP in this discussion is based on few studies done in relation to it. Laak et al. (2005) undertook a study on the draw a person test as an indicator of children’s cognitive and socio-emotional adaption. This quantitative used 115 participants.
Though the reliability was deemed insufficient, the assumed hypothesis that judging children’s human drawings in relation to their developing capacity was found to be reliable. Further, the score within the number of details in those drawing were also reliable with a mean correlations between .79 and .87 (Laak et al.,

Application
The DAP involves the test examiner to request the examinee to complete three drawings; a man, a woman or self on a blank paper. These drawing can take up to 5 minutes or more per drawing and can be completed individual or in groups. However, the measures were standardized in European population for children with the age of 6-17 years (Kubierske, 2008).
5. Scoring and interpretation
Scores Description of the drawing
0 Purposeless, frenzied, and scrawling drawing
1 Are the lines of the drawing controlled and does the drawing shows geometrical figures

• All the drawings that the examiner can acknowledge as attempts by the child to represent human figure are scored plus or minus one. 1 credit for each point scored, and for half credits, nothing is given (Machover, 1949).

References
Murstein, B. (1965). Handbook of projective techniques. New York, NY: Basic Books Inc.
Machover, K. (1949). Personality projection: in the drawing of a human figure. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Kubierske, F. (2008). The usefulness of the draw-a-person: screening procedure for measuring emotional disturbance (DAP: SPED) in South Africa