Baum test

Projective drawing technique developed by Karl Koch

Baum test (also known as the "Tree test" or the "Koch test") is a projective test that is used extensively by psychologists around the world. "Baum" is the German word for tree. It reflects an individual's personality and their underlying emotions by drawing a tree and then analyzing it.

In 1952, Karl Koch interpreted patterns according to principles of handwriting analysis after asking the subject to draw a tree. He attributed the method to Emil Jucker, who clinically analyses the forms of trees. The contents it analyzed include the size of trees, the elements of trees (trunk, crown, branches), the ground and the prosperity of trees. The Baum test is used as a clinical method for personality testing and expressing conflicts, especially for assessing personality in the developmental age. Nowadays, the Baum test is also used in clinical research like diagnosing cognitive disorder.

The first step is to let the participant draw a tree on a paper. In some cases, participants are also asked to write a short essay about the drawn tree. A psychologist or a psychiatrist will then evaluate the various aspects of the drawing as well as the individual's behavior or comments while completing the test. The evaluation is based on standard criteria and scored from "very immature" to "very mature" while the essay is graded from advanced, normal, and backwards. According to Koch and Jucker, they focus on interpreting parts of trees. Here is the analysis raised by them: Though familiarity is a factor children choose to depict, they would also draw things they valued (wishes and desires). He concluded that drawing as a projective technique provides children with a good opportunity to express their personal feelings and their attitudes towards others and their environment. Research conducted in 2007 encouraged people who work with young people to use drawing as a child centered procedure and evaluation tool, though during the process of interpretation expect a level of subjectivity.

This projective test is also used for reflecting human personality constructs, while it is an introspective, self report questionnaire. It represents the unconsciousness of personality and the assessment by responding to a stimulus (drawing the tree). According to Ursula Avé Lallemant, the size of the tree and the width of the trunk symbolize "a sense of self expression and the amount of mental energy". The position of a tree symbolizes "how one perceives and relates to the mental space and time in which one lives."

There are many conducted research provides evidence of the Baum test. Roberto and his colleagues researched the Baum test with a group of mild cognitively impaired (MCI) patients and controls. One research on Alzheimer's disease also shown the difference in drawing patterns. It has found statistical significance difference in canopy widths. Besides, it could help to find the characteristics of eating disorders. Researcher measured the height and width of the trunk and the crown and details of how drawings were processed.

The advantages of the Baum test are that it can be administered quickly (5–10 minutes), is suitable for both individual and group testing, and that it offers the clinician an opportunity to observe the patient's motor skills.