PORTEUS MAZE TEST (PMT)

by Stanley David Porteus

Stanley David Porteus (1883-1972)
Australian Psychologist, Academic and Author
Born in April 24, 1883 at Box Hill, Victoria, Australia
An only child of Rev. David and Katharine Porteus.
Schoolteacher (1899-1912) Victoria, Australia
In 1909, he married with his wife Frances Mainwaring Evans and
had a two sons.
In 1913, he became the initial head teacher at Victoria's first
Education Department sponsored school for feeble-minded
children.
In 1916, he began research on brain size and intelligence at the
University of Melbourne, where he also lectured on experimental
education.
Stanley David Porteus (1883-1972)
Australian Psychologist, Academic and Author
In 1919, Porteus was invited to join as the Director of
Research of the Vineland Training School, a centre for the
study of mental retardation in New Jersey, United States.
In 1922, he established a psychological clinic at the University
of Hawaii.
In 1925, after the resignation from the Vineland School, he
thereafter lived in Honolulu where he was professor of clinical
psychology and its director and Dean of the Psychological and
Psychopathic Clinic until 1948.
He died in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 21, 1972. His ashes are
scattered at sea.
WORKS AND CONTRIBUTION
Porteus Tests-the Vineland Revision and A Standardized Information
Record (1919).
Condensed Guide to the Binet Tests (1920)
Studies in Mental Deviations (1922)
Temperament and race (1926)
The Matrix of the Mind (1928)
The psychology of a primitive people (1931)
Primitive intelligence and environment (1937)
Psychological service in Hawaii, the work of the University clinic (1939).
The practice of clinical psychology (1941).
Qualitative Performance in the Maze Test (1942).
Calabashes and kings (1945).
And blow not the trumpet (1947).
Providence Ponds: A Novel of Early Australia (1951).
Ethnic Group Differences (1961).
A Century of Social Thinking in Hawaii (1962).
Streamlined Elementary Education (1964).
A psychologist of sorts (1969).
 WHAT IS PORTEUS MAZE TEST (PMT)?

PMT is a psychological non-verbal test of intelligence.

It was first introduced in 1913 by the psychology Professor
Stanley Porteus and later published in the Journal of
Experimental Pedagogy and the Journal of Psycho-Asthenics in
1915.
The test serves as a supplement for Stanford-Binet test
performance (Louttit & Stackman, 1936) and the supplementary
subtest of the Wechsler intelligence scales (Garfield, 2007).
It was standardized and validated on large numbers of children in
Victorian schools and institutions.

 WHAT IS PORTEUS MAZE TEST (PMT)?

The PMT, broadly considered, yields scores on indices that are

utilized as measures of executive functions.
It consists of a series of eight or twelve mazes, depending on
the version administered.
Mazes are labeled as years, each of which corresponds to one
or two years of age. They are administered successively,
increasing in difficulty.
 PMT Versions

* The Vineland Revision (Year III – Year XII, Year XIV, Adult I)
To standardize the test
Consider the sex differences in performance
Achieve correlations with the Binet-Simon scale and the US Army test and
estimate social capability and industrial aptitude.
* The Extension Series (Year VII – Year XII, Year XIV, Adult I)
* The supplement series (Year VII – Year XII, Year XIV, Adult I)

The new series which have been developed by Porteus to

eliminate the effects of practice for the purpose of retesting.
 THE REVISIONS OF INSTRUCTIONS
Porteus Tests-The Vineland Revision (1919).
The Guide to the Porteus Maze Test (1924).
The Maze Test and Mental Differences (1933).
Qualitative Performance in the Maze Test (1942).
The Porteus Maze Test and Intelligence (1950).
The Maze Test: Recent Advances (1955).
The Maze Test and Clinical Psychology and The Porteus
Mazes: The Supplement Series (1959).
The Porteus Maze Tests: Fifty Years Application (1965).
 PURPOSE

The test was designed to measure the cognitive ability of

executive functioning, specifically planning capacity and foresight
(performance intelligence) as well as problem-solving skills of an
individual ages 3 and over.

Porteuz maze test also examined personality traits and

other abilities that were substantially related to social
adjustment.

 TECHNICALS

Materials:
Series of mazes
Score sheets
Administration manual
Record forms
Pencil
 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

The Porteus Maze Test has an average correlation score

with verbal intelligence tests of about 0.50.
The Porteus Maze Test has a high correlation with other
nonverbal intelligence tests such as Kohs Blocks and Knox
Cubes.
Porteus claimed that the reliability of this test is 0.96.
 TEST ADMINISTRATION

An individual test where the subject is shown a

maze on a piece of paper. The subject is then
instructed to take a pencil and trace his way out
of the maze without entering a blind alley, lifting
or crossing any line of the maze from the starting
point to the goal.

On the basis of the subject’s performance, two

sets of scores are calculated: the Test Age (TA)
or Test Quotient (TQ) and the Qualitative Score
(Q).

 SCORING AND INTERPRETATION

Quantitative scoring: Test Age (TA) or Test Quotient (TQ)
The TA score is calculated based on both the number of trials required
and the number of mazes successfully completed. It is used as a
measure of planning or foresight (Carlozzi, 2011).
The TQ is a ratio of a subject’s chronological age with that subject’s TA.
As such, it is used to measure a subject’s planning ability in relation to
that subject’s age. It obtained after calculating the TA. TA Maze Trials:
Year III – Year IV 3 trials*
Year V – Year XI 2 trials*
Year XII+ 4 trials*
Qualitative scoring: Q score
The Q score is calculated based on the number of errors throughout all
mazes. It is often considered as a measure of behavioral disinhibition
(Gow & Ward, 1982).
 SCORING AND INTERPRETATION
Types of Test Age errors:
1. Blind Alley 2. Cut Alley

3. Inability to Complete the Maze

 SCORING AND INTERPRETATION
Types of Qualitavive errors:
1. First Third (FT) 2. Last Third (LT)

3. Cut Corner (CC) 4. Crossed Line (CL)

 SCORING AND INTERPRETATION
Types of Qualitavive errors:
5. Lift Pencil (LP) 6. Wrong Direction (WD)

7. Wavy Line (WL)

 SCORING AND INTERPRETATION

High TA indicates superior performance

High Q-score indicates 1nferior performance.
 STRENGHTS

Highly robust test and internal consistency (Venkatesan &

Lokesh, 2020).
Best indicator of planning and disinhibition regardless of
socioeconomic status (Krikorian & Bartok, 1998) and
culture (David, 1974).
Inexpensive and requires few materials.
 LIMITATION

Administered by trained professionals.

Complications in time and scoring.
Many mazes must be completed in order for the scoring
to be calculated.
Due to the complexity, the test takers will lose interest in
completing all mazes.
 SAMPLE ITEMS
Series of Mazes published in 1915.
 SAMPLE ITEMS
Series of Mazes published in 1919.
 SAMPLE ITEMS
Series of Mazes published in 1924.
 SAMPLE ITEMS
Series of Mazes published in 1933.
 Studying the Effects of Porteus Maze Test in Children with Learning
Disabilities
S. Venkatesan and L. Lokesh
Aim. The generic aim of this study is to attempt a tryout of PMT on a clinical population of children with Specific Learning
Disability (SLD) along with two other non-verbal or performance tests of intelligence to derive comparative profiles among
them. The specific objectives of this inquiry are:
To administer the PMT, GDT, and SFB as three nonverbal or performance tests of intelligence in a clinical population of
children with SLD; and,
To outline the comparative profile of test performance in terms of nature, types or extent of errors on the
administered three nonverbal or performance tests of intelligence in a clinical population of children with SLD; and,
To establish the internal/external validity and reliability of the three nonverbal or performance tests of intelligence in a
clinical population of children with SLD.
Method. This study uses a cross-sectional, one-shot exploratory survey design on a convenience sample of SLD-diagnosed
children in the age range between 7 and 15 years, with a population mean of 143 (N: 143); 102 boys and 41 girls. Data on test
performance was collected and administered individually by a qualified psychologist using the following tools: the Porteus Maze
Test (PMT), the Seguin Form Board (SFB), and the Gesell’s Drawing Test (GDT).
Results. The study found that all the three nonverbal or performance tests of intelligence (PMT, GDT, and SFB) are
comparable and equally applicable for children with SLD. These tools have adequate internal/external validity and reliability.
The results also shows that the PMT is robust in terms of internal consistency and is in consonance with other performance
tests like GDT and SFB for measuring intelligence in children with SLD.

Venkatesan, Srinivasan & L, Lokesh. (2020). Studying the Effects of Porteus Maze Test in Children with Learning Disabilities. 1. 117-125.
Thank You!