Children's Apperception Test (CAT)

A clinician's overview of the Children's Apperception Test (CAT), the child counterpart of the TAT. How the storytelling method works, what it explores, and its place in Indian practice.

What it is

The CAT, developed by Leopold and Sonya Bellak in 1949, is a projective storytelling test for young children. The child is shown a series of picture cards depicting animal figures in recognisably human situations and asked to tell a story about each one.

Animals were chosen because young children often identify with them more readily than with human figures. The stories are read for recurring themes: relationships with parents, sibling rivalry, fears, aggression, and how the child experiences everyday family life. A human-figure version (CAT-H) exists for older children.

What it covers

Who it is for

It is used with young children, roughly ages 3 to 10, when a clinician wants a window into the child's inner world that direct questioning cannot give: emotional difficulties, family disruption, anxiety, and behavioural concerns.

It is administered individually by a clinician trained in projective methods, and interpreted qualitatively rather than through normed scores.

How it is administered

The examiner presents the cards one at a time and invites a story: what is happening, what came before, what happens next, and what the characters feel. Responses are recorded verbatim and later read for themes, defences and the child's view of key relationships.

Interpretation is clinical and hypothesis-generating; findings are weighed against history, observation and other assessment data, never taken alone.

Use in India

The CAT is widely used in Indian child guidance clinics and hospital child psychology settings. An Indian adaptation with figures and scenes drawn for the Indian context was developed by Uma Chowdhury. As with all projective methods, Indian clinicians treat the stories as qualitative material to integrate with the fuller assessment.

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Citation and sources

Bellak, L., & Bellak, S.S. (1949). Children's Apperception Test. C.P.S. Inc. (Indian adaptation: Uma Chowdhury.)

• Children's Apperception Test (overview) — Wikipedia

This page is general educational information for professionals, not clinical or legal advice, and not a substitute for training in the instrument. ElloMind does not provide, sell or reproduce copyrighted test materials.