The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
Introduction
Berder Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (BVMGT) 15 geometric designs are used in the test to
gauge a person's visual perception, motor capabilities, and cognitive processing abilities as well
as their ability to duplicate and finish visual patterns. The bender Gestalt has been widely utilized
as a projective test of pathology and as a screen for organic brain. Loretta Bender did not really
produce the statistics, even though she was the one who developed the Bender-Gestalt exam in
the late 1930s. Nine figures were chosen by her from a bigger sample of Gestalt psychologist
Max Wertheimer created geometric designs (Hutt, 1969). Bender was curious about how
individuals interpreted patterns in images as Gestalts, or ordered structures. She and other
researchers who adhered to the Gestalt school of thought that maturation is responsible for a
person's propensity to see things as cohesive wholes rather than as disconnected details. Put
differently, as people grow older and mature, they are able to perceive things to the utmost extent
possible. The nine cards in the Bender Gestalt Test each have an abstract pattern on them.
Wertheimer (1923) originally used these stimulus designs, which Bender (1938) modified. This
test was considered especially pertinent by Bender (1938) for the evaluation of cognitive
maturity and the diagnosis of organically based pathologic conditions. The test-taker is supposed
to replicate each design as precisely as possible once the examiner hands them the cards during
the administration of the test. There are no time restrictions. According to standard procedure,
the designs must be replicated with an HP pencil on an unlined, blank sheet of paper. Next, the
overall integration and relative accuracy of each person's designs are appraised A variant of the
Gestalt theory used to evaluate visual-motor abilities, cognitive growth, and brain function is the
Developmental delays, cognitive deficits, and neurological conditions like ADHD, autism, and
stroke are all detected using the BVMGT. In addition to being used with adults to identify
neurological deficiencies or cognitive impairments, the test is also administered to children
between the ages of 5 and 15 to evaluate their motor and cognitive development. The exam is
especially helpful in detecting developmental delays in kids and tracking advancements in the
development of motor and cognitive skills. (Ghalehban et al.,2020).
Procedure
To administer the Berder Visual-Motor Gestalt Test. Give the student a pencil and the
test booklet, and instruct them to reproduce each of the 15 designs at their own pace. Maintain a
distraction-free atmosphere and refrain from offering advice or criticism. Both comfort and clear
vision of the patterns are important. Once finished, assess the test by determining the accuracy,
completeness, and organization of each design and allocating points for mistakes, omissions, and
distortions. 15 to 20 minutes is how long the full process usually takes, including scoring. Make
sure the person understands the assignment and feels comfortable moving forward throughout
the test by keeping a neutral and encouraging attitude.
Quantitative interpretation
Criteria Scoring
Preservation 0
Rotation or reversal 0
Concretism 0
Added angles 0
Separation of lines 0
Overlap 0
Distortion 0
Embellishments 0
Partial Rotations 0
Omission 0
Abbreviation 0
Separation 0
Absence of erasure 0
Closure 0
Point of contact on figure A 0
Total 0
Mean Value 1.4
Standard Deviation 1.4
Grade
Qualitative interpretation
References
Ghalehban, Maryam, et al. “The Use of the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test with
Substance Abuse Patients.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 30, 2011, pp.
433–436, [Link] Accessed 21 Sept. 2020.
