Lauretta Bender

Lauretta Bender (1897-1987) was an influential American psychiatrist and psychologist who made significant contributions to child psychology and clinical assessment. Born in Watsonville, California, she received her medical degree from the University of California and later became a prominent figure at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City. She is most renowned for developing the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test in 1938, a projective psychological test that remains widely used in clinical, educational, and forensic settings nearly a century later. The test assesses visual perception, motor coordination, and cognitive maturity in both children and adults. Beyond this landmark assessment tool, Bender conducted pioneering research on childhood schizophrenia and contributed substantially to understanding neurological and psychiatric disorders in children. Her work bridged neurology and psychiatry, and she authored over 300 publications during her career. Bender's legacy endures through her continued influence on psychological testing and assessment practices worldwide.