Wikipedia is a constant source of controversy coming as a natural side effect of the openness and the number of different ideas and opinions trying to coexist on the site. If it isn't scientologists, it's public institutions that are getting roused up by the organization. And now some vocal groups of psychologists are upset by the publishing of Rorschach test plates on the site, which they believe could have a very detrimental effect on the validity of the test's results.

As the New York Times reports, the dispute has been going for some months now but it wasn't until June when all of the original 10 plates from the test as well as the claimed most common results were published, that the debate escalated to new heights. The heart of the problem for the psychologists that have taken issue with the publishing is that they believe that having the plates as well as common answers on the site will render the test useless as many patients may try to “game” the test. This would make the results of the 90-year-old test, which rely on the interpretation of the answers, meaningless.

The test, called the Rorschach test or the inkblot test, was originally developed in 1921 by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach. The original 10 plates he created for the test have been widely used since then by psychologists worldwide. Still one of the most common tests, it relies on the interpretation of the patients' answers when presented with the meaningless images as there are no “correct” answers. A lot of research has been conducted based on the 10 plates and the common answers and interpretations, all of which, some psychologists say, will become useless if the plates are widely available to the public.

The plates have circulated the web and are present on numerous other sites, as they are no longer protected by copyright in the US, but it wasn't until they made their way to Wikipedia that several experts took notice. Opposing the number of psychologists asking for the removal of the plates is the great number of Wikipedia users who believe in the free sharing of knowledge and think this should trump any side effects the publishing may have. A number of experts also believe that making the plates available will not diminish the effectiveness of the test and should not provide altered results even if the patient knows the “answers” in advance.