6.2 Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) & FEATS

Origins and Purpose of the PPAT Assessment

The Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) is a standardized art-based clinical assessment instrument developed in 1998 by art therapists Linda Gantt and Carmello Tabone. Designed to address the long-standing clinical need for an objective, standardized drawing instrument with robust psychometric properties, the PPAT integrates an engaging thematic metaphor with structured cognitive, affective, and behavioral demands.

While projective drawing tests like the Draw-A-Person (Machover) or House-Tree-Person (Buck) provide open-ended stimuli, Gantt and Tabone recognized that introducing a goal-directed dynamic action—picking an apple—elicits critical information regarding:

1. Active Problem-Solving and Coping Strategy: How an individual approaches, organizes, and attempts to resolve a concrete physical challenge.
2. Ego Agency and Self-Efficacy: Whether the self-representation (the person) is depicted as capable, resourceful, and in command of their environment, or passive, helpless, and alienated.
3. Affective and Energy Resources: The vitality, motor exertion, and emotional tone invested into graphic execution.
4. Cognitive and Perceptual Organization: The degree of realism, environmental logic, structural integration, and developmental maturity exhibited in the visual composition.

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Standardized Administration Protocol

Adherence to the standardized administration protocol is mandatory to ensure valid comparison with the normative and diagnostic anchor sets in the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) manual.

Required Materials

• Drawing Media: Exactly one 12-pack of standard Crayola classic fine-line or broad-line felt-tip markers. The standardized set contains: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, violet (purple), black, brown, gray, pink, light blue, and light green.
• Paper: One sheet of 12" x 18" white drawing paper (standard 60–70 lb weight). The paper must be presented directly to the client in horizontal (landscape) orientation.
• Surface: A smooth, clear table surface providing adequate room for drawing and full access to the markers.

The Standardized Directive

The clinician presents the paper horizontally, sets the marker box within easy reach, and delivers the exact verbal directive:

"Draw a person picking an apple from a tree."

Administration Rules and In-Vivo Observations

• Directive Clarification: If the client asks clarifying questions (e.g., "Should I draw myself?", "Can I use a ladder?", "What color should the apples be?"), the clinician responds neutrally: "You may draw it any way you like."
• Timing: The task is untimed, though most adolescents and adults complete the drawing within 15 to 30 minutes. The clinician notes total drawing duration.
• Observational Tracking: The clinician unobtrusively observes and records: sequence of graphic elements (e.g., whether the tree, the person, the ground, or the apples are drawn first), marker color selections, verbal comments, motor behavior, and any signs of frustration or hesitation.

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The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS)

To eliminate subjective projective guesswork, Linda Gantt and Carmello Tabone developed the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS). The FEATS is a standardized scoring system that evaluates the PPAT drawing across 14 distinct scales. Each scale is evaluated on an ordinal 0-to-5 point scale, where each numerical rating is anchored to specific operational definitions and published visual exemplar drawings in the FEATS rating manual.

The 14 FEATS Scales Overview

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      THE 14 FEATS RATING SCALES                        │
├───────────────────┬───────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┤
│ Affective / Energy│ Cognitive / Logic │ Structural / Developmental     │
├───────────────────┼───────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. Color Prominence│ 6. Logic          │ 8. Problem-Solving             │
│ 2. Color Fit      │ 7. Realism        │ 9. Developmental Level         │
│ 3. Implied Energy │ 13. Rotation      │ 10. Details of Environment     │
│ 4. Space Usage    │ 14. Perseveration │ 11. Line Quality               │
│ 5. Integration    │                   │ 12. Person Representation      │
└───────────────────┴───────────────────┴────────────────────────────────┘

Detailed Breakdown of the 14 Scales

1. Prominence of Color: Evaluates the total amount of color used across the sheet relative to white paper space and monochromatic linework. (0 = no color/pencil only; 5 = fully saturated, dense color dominating the entire drawing surface).
2. Color Fit: Assesses the degree to which colors conform to real-world objects. (0 = bizarre, completely incongruous colors such as a purple person with blue tree; 5 = realistic, normative color assignment for tree, bark, apples, clothing, and sky).
3. Implied Energy: Measures the amount of physical exertion, vitality, and motor vigor required to produce the drawing. Evaluated through stroke speed, line pressure, and fullness of coloring. (0 = barely visible, lethargic, minimal strokes; 5 = high-energy, vigorous, dynamic mark-making).
4. Space: Quantifies the percentage of the 12" x 18" paper filled with drawn elements, background shading, or ground cover. (0 = less than 5% of paper used; 5 = 80% to 100% of the surface covered).
5. Integration: Evaluates the compositional relationship between elements (person, tree, apple, ground). (0 = disconnected, floating elements scattered haphazardly with no cohesive scene; 5 = fully integrated pictorial composition where elements interact harmoniously in unified perspective).
6. Logic: Measures the degree of rationality, plausibility, and physical coherence depicted. (0 = impossible, bizarre, or surreal phenomena such as flying trees, disembodied eyes, or upside-down figures; 5 = logically consistent physical reality).
7. Realism: Assesses representational fidelity versus stick figures or extreme stylization. (0 = unrecognizable scribbles or non-representational marks; 5 = highly articulated, three-dimensional, anatomically realistic rendering).
8. Problem-Solving: Measures how successfully and effectively the person is engaged in picking an apple (detailed in depth below).
9. Developmental Level: Evaluates graphic maturity based on Viktor Lowenfeld's developmental stages. (0 = scribbling stage; 1 = preschematic; 2 = schematic; 3 = dawning realism; 4 = pseudo-naturalistic; 5 = adult period of decision).
10. Details of Objects and Environment: Assesses the presence of secondary and contextual details (e.g., bark texture, individual leaves, grass blades, clouds, birds, facial features, fingernails, clothing textures). (0 = bare minimum, no secondary details; 5 = elaborate, meticulous environmental richness).
11. Line Quality: Measures control, fluidity, and dexterity of line execution. (0 = tremulous, jagged, uncontrolled, or chaotic linework; 5 = fluid, confident, intentional lines demonstrating excellent fine motor control).
12. Person: Evaluates the completeness and anatomical articulation of the human figure. (0 = person omitted or unrecognizable; 1 = rudimentary stick figure; 5 = fully articulated human body with neck, torso, articulated joints, detailed hands, feet, and expressive facial features).
13. Rotation: Assesses whether figures, trees, or objects are unnaturally tilted, rotated, or inverted relative to the horizontal baseline. (0 = normal upright vertical orientation; elevated scores indicate severe tilting, horizontal falling, or upside-down inversions, signifying neurological impairment or psychotic disorientation).
14. Perseveration: Evaluates the presence of repetitive, compulsive, meaningless, or redundant graphic marks (e.g., obsessive cross-hatching, hundreds of identical scribbled marks, repeating patterns unrelated to the scene). (0 = no perseveration; 5 = pervasive, compulsive repetition dominating the drawing).

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The Mechanics of the Problem-Solving Scale

The Problem-Solving scale is the defining diagnostic hallmark of the PPAT. It operationalizes a client's unconscious and behavioral stance toward environmental obstacles, goal attainment, and personal efficacy.

FEATS Problem-Solving Scoring Criteria (0 to 5 Ordinal Range)

[Score 1: Helpless]      [Score 2: Passive]       [Score 4: Active Reach]   [Score 5: Mastery]
Person without arms      Apples falling into lap  Climbing secure ladder    Hand grasping apple,
standing far away        without physical effort  hand touching branch      in full possession

[!NOTE] Clinical studies demonstrate that individuals experiencing major depressive episodes or severe learned helplessness overwhelmingly score 1 or 2 on Problem-Solving. In contrast, individuals with high self-efficacy, internal locus of control, and effective problem-solving skills score 4 or 5.

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Empirically Validated FEATS Diagnostic Profiles

Research conducted by Gantt, Tabone, and subsequent investigators across psychiatric inpatient and outpatient cohorts has established distinct, statistically significant profiles on the 14 FEATS scales for major DSM disorders:

Comparative FEATS Diagnostic Profile Matrix

Clinical Analysis of Diagnostic Profiles

1. Major Depression Profile

Depression on the FEATS is characterized by a profile of global psychomotor reduction:

• Depressed clients consistently produce drawings with extremely low scores on Color Prominence (often using only 1 or 2 marker colors, typically black or brown), Space (drawing elements occupy only a small fraction of the paper), Implied Energy (light, faint strokes showing lack of vitality), and Details (bare tree, absence of groundline or environmental scenery).
• Notably, Color Fit and Logic remain intact; the depressed client views reality accurately but lacks the physical and emotional energy to invest in the drawing.

2. Schizophrenia Profile

Schizophrenia is identified through severe impairment in cognitive organization and reality testing:

• Marked decrements on Logic (drawings show bizarre, impossible spatial relationships or surreal elements), Integration (elements float disconnectedly across the page), and Color Fit (inappropriate color assignment, such as blue grass or yellow skin).
• Statistically significant elevations in Rotation (trees or figures drawn at abnormal 45-degree, 90-degree, or 180-degree angles) and Perseveration (repetitive, compulsive marks, mechanical hatching, or identical redundant symbols across the sheet).

3. Bipolar Mania Profile

Mania presents with a profile of psychomotor hyper-activation and cognitive expansiveness:

• Dramatic elevations on Prominence of Color (extensive use of vibrant markers), Space (drawings fill the entire 12" x 18" sheet and push against edges), and Implied Energy (vigorous, heavy, rapid strokes).
• However, manic drawings frequently show decrements in Logic and Integration due to grandiosity, racing thoughts, and impulsive composition (e.g., giant figures, hundreds of oversized apples, or disconnected decorative bursts).

Psychometric Rigor and Board Examination Standards

The PPAT and FEATS stand out in art therapy assessment literature for their rigorous empirical standardization:

• Inter-Rater Reliability: Extensive validation studies report high inter-rater reliability across trained raters. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Pearson correlation coefficients consistently range from .70 to .92 across the 14 scales when raters utilize the standardized visual anchor manual.
• Construct and Criterion Validity: FEATS scores correlate strongly with standardized psychiatric rating scales, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).
• Assessment Boundaries: ATR-BC candidates must understand that the FEATS does not provide a standalone psychiatric diagnosis. Rather, it offers quantifiable, objective data reflecting ego functioning, affective modulation, cognitive stability, and coping resources that substantiate comprehensive clinical assessment.