Structural vs. Interpretive Ambiguity: A Cross Cultural Study with the Holtzman Inkblots

Summary

The concepts of structural vs. interpretive ambiguity were examined, and the measures of each were defined using the 45 blots of the Holtzman Inkblot Test (HIT). The ambiguity measures were taken from two distinct sets of four student samples with diverse cultural backgrounds. Structural ambiguity ratings were also made by a sample of professional psychologists. The nature and degree of relationship between the structural and interpretive ambiguity measures was determined for each of the four cultural groups, and the extent of agreement among the groups was obtained for both measures. Findings indicated that the nature of the relationship between the two measures is an inverse one, with blots rated low in structural ambiguity receiving high interpretive scores and vice versa. Results showed high agreement among the student samples, as well as with the sample of psychologists, regarding the structural measure, and substantial agreement was also found among the student samples on the interpretive measure of ambiguity.