Mirroring Activity in the Brain and Movement Determinant in the Rorschach Test

Abstract

Human movement (M) responses to the Rorschach are related to cognitive sophistication, creativity, and empathy. Recent studies also link Ms to EEG-mu suppression, an index of mirroring activity in the brain. In this article, we further investigate the link between Ms and mu suppression by testing some clinical interpretative distinctions. Previously collected EEG data recorded during the administration of the Rorschach were reanalyzed. We hypothesized that (a) among several responses investigated, only M would be associated with mu suppression, and (b) Ms with active movement, ordinary form quality, or whole human figures would be most strongly associated with mu suppression. Hypothesis 1 was fully confirmed, thus supporting that the traditional interpretation of M has a neurobiological foundation. Hypothesis 2 was partially confirmed; that is, active Ms were associated with mu suppression more strongly than passive Ms (p < .05), but no other significant differences emerged. Clinical implications are discussed.

Acknowledgments

This article is based on part of a doctoral dissertation in social, cognitive, and clinical psychology at the University of Milano-Bicocca by Luciano Giromini.

We acknowledge Emily Burris, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, for proofreading the article.

Notes

Although the word kinesthesia in the Rorschach literature is often adopted with the original meaning given by Rorschach, it should be noted that this term might be labeled within the neurocognitive science field as kinesthetic identification, mimicking, or simulating.

The term social cognition is often used interchangeably with terms such as theory of mind and social perception. Originally coined by Premack and Woodruff (1978), theory of mind involves the ability to understand and identify others’ mental states. In a related way social perception, introduced by Brunner (1947), refers to forming impressions and making inferences about other people's intentions. Here, we broadly refer to social cognition as the cognitive and brain processes that subserve behavior with other people (Adolphs, 1999). From this perspective, it subsumes both theory of mind and social perception.

We combined the M/FQ– response with the M/FQu response, because too few EEG data were available for the M with FQ– response alone. Indeed, only six individuals produced M/FQ– responses, and three of them produced only one M/FQ–.