Projective tests are examined in the light of information theory, decision theory, and computer-stimulation techniques. It is argued that (a) more attention needs to be paid to stimulus variables and that decision theory offers an approach to stimulus definition, (b) a different interpretative tactic is implied by decision theory, and (c) the problem of criterion definition is reopened in the light of decision theory. A simple cognitive model based on computer-simulation approaches is presented in order to demonstrate how an informational analysis might cope with projective responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)