The present study concerned an attempt to corroborate the classic findings of Rapaport, Gill, and Schafer in distinguishing mental hospital patients from control subjects, using a new objectively scored word-association test. 12 computer-scored objective scales were used to compare groups of 101 mental hospital inpatients ( n = 75, including 37 on a prison ward) and outpatients ( n = 26) and 101 control subjects matched with the patients for sex, age, racial and ethnic status, and education. A stepwise multiple discrimination analysis of the scores on the 12 scales of the test significantly distinguished the groups. Scales weighted most highly were Masochism, Antonyms, and Aggression. Subsequent t tests suggested that control subjects scored higher on Aggression, Self-reference, and Masochism scales, whereas patients scored higher on Rejections (nonresponses to stimulus words). Of these, only Self-reference and Rejections were items identified by Rapaport, et al.
Word association patterns in a second/foreign language – what do they tell us about the L2 mental lexicon?