The Mother-Child Picture Test: Presentation of a New Method for the Evaluation of Mother-Child Relations

Abstract

The mother-child picture test (MCPT) was administered to 100 pairs of mothers and their 7-8-year-old children. A drawing of a woman feeding a small child was presented with a perceptgenetic technique, i.e., tachistoscopically in a series of 20 presentations starting with subthreshold exposure values which were successively prolonged. Subjects were asked to describe the picture. It was found that when a mother reacted "negatively" to the stimulus her child was also likely to do so. The scoring categories were validated against the results of a parallel mother-child study. It was concluded that the MCPT presented with a perceptgenetic technique reflects essential aspects of mother-child relations.