APA Dictionary of Psychology

a nonverbal personality assessment in which participants indicate like or dislike for each of 400 black-and-white figures varying in complexity from simple line drawings of geometric figures to detailed, multiline abstractions. Initially designed to diagnose psychiatric disorders, the WFPT currently includes several scales intended to measure a variety of constructs, both pathological (e.g., anxiety, repression) and nonpathological (e.g., creativity, originality). See also Barron–Welsh Art Scale. [originally developed in 1949 by George S. Welsh (1918–1990), U.S. psychologist]