Validity of the Draw a Person: A Quantitative Scoring System (DAP:QSS) for Clinically Evaluating Intelligence

Abstract

To assess the psychometric properties of the Draw a Person: A Quantitative Scoring System (DAP:QSS), in 2543 children (M = 11.43 ± 3.06 years), correlations between drawings scores and Raven’s Matrices scores, age, and academic achievement were examined. Although older children (> 11 years) obtained higher drawing scores than younger ones (p < 0.001), age significantly correlated with DAP:QSS scores only in children younger than 11 years (r = 0.493, p < 0.001), indicating conflictive evidence for construct validity and a possible ceiling effect. No correlations emerged between DAP:QSS scores and grades (r = 0.056, p = 0.097). DAP:QSS scores were significantly associated with Raven’s Matrices score, but low correlation coefficients (0.156–0.498), low sensitivity (0.12), and high false negative (87.9%) and positive (82%) rates suggest poor DAP:QSS validity as an intelligence measure. The researchers concluded that DAP:QSS failed to produce a psychometrically sound assessment of children’s intellectual functioning.