Human Figure Drawing Test: update study - I

• Grant number: 14/03223-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: August 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Helena Rinaldi Rosa
• Grantee: Helena Rinaldi Rosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Psychological children evaluation is one of the most important social needs in Psychology nowadays due to innumerous complaints about children made by psychologists from different areas of study. One of the main tools in this kind of evaluation is the Drawing of the Human Figure - DHF - which allows for different score systems. One of the most well-known and internationally used is the one proposed by Koppitz (1968), this system establishes objective criteria and is easy to correct due to its developmental scales used to evaluate children's development and emotional indicators used to determine emotional problems. The aim of the present research will be investigate the items proposed by Koppitz to evaluate the emotional difficulties, by comparing a group of 60 children, aged 5 to eleven years old, who have sleeked psychological treatment for various reasons, with a control group of 60 students, the same age, without any emotional problem and paired with the first group. Individual applications will be carried on, in schools or clinicals without any prejudice to their activities. We expect to contribute to the quality of those tools in the evaluation of children psychology so that they can be used with more reliability in the professional practice. (AU)