Assessment of achievement and power motivation of Blacks and Whites, using a Black and White TAT, with Black and White administrators

Abstract

TAT motive scores of need for achievement ( n Ach) and need for power for 63 male college students (31 Black and 32 White) did not vary significantly as a function of either their race, the race of the TAT administrator, or race of TAT stimulus figures. Neither was any support found for the presumed importance of using stimulus figures and/or administrators racially congruent with Ss. In accord with previous research, White TAT administrators, compared with Black, elicited greater verbal fluency from both Black and White Ss. n Ach was not correlated significantly with self-reported GPA nor with a self-inventory measure of n Ach, which itself was significantly related to GPA. The typical finding of significant positive associations between verbal productivity and motive scores on the TAT was not confirmed, largely because for Black Ss, motive scores were inversely related to verbal productivity. Although there are questions concerning the overall reliability and validity of the TAT for purposes of assessment and personnel or guidance decisions, there is little evidence to substantiate claims that it is less applicable for Blacks than for Whites. (84 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)