Final answer:
The statement is true; David McClelland used the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to assess achievement motivation through coded imaginative stories in response to picture cues.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that David McClelland (1961) and his colleagues coded short imaginative stories told by people in response to picture cues, like the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), to assess individual differences in achievement motivation and related tendencies is TRUE. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is indeed a projective psychological test used to uncover a person's unconscious desires, fears, and struggles via storytelling in response to ambiguous images. Although the TAT was created by Henry Murray and Christiana Morgan in the 1930s, McClelland utilized it to study aspects of personality, such as achievement motivation. It's important to note that while the TAT can offer insights into a person's social world and psychological disorders, the validity and reliability of the test have been a subject of debate among scholars.