The Role of Visual Perception in the Reproduction of Bender-Gestalt Designs

Summary

Four groups (controls, organics, acute and chronic schizophrenics) of 14 Ss each were matched for age, sex and intelligence. The principal tasks involved (1) reproducing the designs and (2) matching according to similarity a series of 8 design-choices with varying degrees of distortion from most-like to least-like the stimulus designs. The results confirmed the hypotheses (1) that perception of the B-G designs does not significantly differentiate between normal subjects and subjects manifesting psychopathology while (2) there exists a significant difference regarding reproduction of the designs between the groups. These findings are considered to be in agreement with current conceptualization of perception.