THE ANIMAL PREFERENCE TEST AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO BEHAVIORAL-PROBLEMS IN YOUNG-CHILDREN

We compared performance on the Animal Preference Test: (API : Van Kreveien, 1955) with parental assessment of children's behavioral problems as. measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: Achenbach & Edelbrock. 1986). Forty Black and Hispanic 6- to 12-year-old boys were asked to name the three animals they would most like to be and the three animals they would least like to be if they could not be a human being. Reasons for animal choice were categorized into one of four theme categories: aggression, autonomy, nurrurance, and pteas'jre-beautv. Each category had a high degree (91 %) of interratet reliability, When reasons for amrnai choice were dichotomised into aggression autonomy versus nurturance/pieasure-beauty, children who rejected animals because of their nurturant or aesthetic qualities displayed significantly greater aggressive (p <.001) and depressed (p <.05) behaviors on the C3CL. The choice of animals the subjects would most like to be was not meaningfully associated with CBCL performance. Further research with this easily administered and reliably scored projective test appears warranted. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.