In which projective technique are subjects asked to respond with their first thoughts to a list of words or phrases?

The word association test is a projective technique where subjects are presented with a list of words or phrases and asked to respond with their first thoughts or immediate reactions to each word. This method taps into a person's subconscious, revealing insights about their feelings, attitudes, and associations connected to the words presented. The emphasis on spontaneous and instinctive responses allows researchers to uncover underlying motivations and perceptions that might not be accessible through more structured or direct questioning.

In contrast, the other techniques involve different forms of eliciting responses. The sentence completion test requires individuals to finish incomplete sentences, providing insights in a more structured way. The visual metaphor technique utilizes images to evoke responses, and the story completion method prompts respondents to create narratives based on some stimuli. These methods differ fundamentally from the word association test in how they solicit responses and the type of information they are likely to produce.