WISC, WISC-R Differences: Fact or Artifact

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was developed by David Wechsler in 1949 as a downward extension of the adult intelligence test called the Wechsler-Bellevue (Wechsler, 1939). The content for the WISC came largely from the Wechsler-Bellevue Form II although there were some new items added at the easier end to provide a floor for the younger child (Edwards, 1972). As the WISC Manual (Wechsler, 1949) points out, the test was intended for children from ages five through 15 and was standardized separately from the Wechsler-Bellevue Form II

A pilot of the use of the WAIS III in learning disability services

The present study is a pilot examining how a group of people (n=133) with a learning disability perform on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third Edition (1997). The study found that Full Scale IQ was not always predictive of performance on individual subtests or of performance on the Indices. Implications for clinical practice are discussed

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale: Review of short forms

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar una revisión teórica de las principales formas abreviadas que han sido desarrolladas por varios autores a partir de las distintas versiones de la Escala de inteligencia de Wechsler para adultos que han ido surgiendo a lo largo del tiempo. El desarrollo de formas cortas ha ido creciendo en paralelo a la aparición de las nuevas versiones de la escala completa. Una forma abreviada permite estimar la capacidad intelectual con un tiempo de administración menor, por lo que puede ser de gran utilidad si el objetivo de evaluación es obtener una medida general de la capacidad intelectual

Distinguishing between vascular dementia and alzheimer's disease by means of the WAIS: a meta-analysis.

This study was intended to, meta-analytically, review whether the subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale are useful in differentiating between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. We expected the Alzheimer's disease group to outperform the vascular dementia group on those subtests that require executive functions, whereas inferior performance of the Alzheimer's disease patients was expected on memory tests. Two steps in the analysis were undertaken in an attempt to clarify this issue. The first step consisted of including all studies examining Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale subtest performance in vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease patients. Secondly, a subcortical vascular dementia subgroup was distinguished and performance of this subgroup was compared to that of the Alzheimer's disease group. Overall, the analyses showed that both the vascular dementia and, more strongly, the subcortical vascular dementia group revealed decreased executive functions on several subtests compared to the Alzheimer's disease group. The Alzheimer's disease group showed inferior performance on a single semantic memory test only compared to both the vascular dementia and the subcortical vascular dementia groups. These results indicate that several subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale can differentiate between these two clinical groups, and that most of these tests reveal more impaired performance in the vascular dementia grou

Correlates of the MMPI-A Immaturity (IMM) Scale in an Adolescent Psychiatric Population

Despite numerous theories of adolescent ego development, there is no objective measure of ego development or maturation targeted for the assessment of adolescents. The Immaturity (IMM) Scale developed for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) was designed to fill this void in adolescent assessment. The present study examined the concurrent validity of the IMM Scale based on sixty-six adolescents (13-18 years old) in an inpatient setting using four prominent measures of maturity, i.e., The Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT), the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status - Second Revision (EOM-EIS-2), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Revision (WISC-III), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised (WAIS-R). Additionally, demographic profiles and staff ratings using the Devereux Adolescent Behavior Rating Scale (DABRS) were employed to examine the external correlates of the IMM Scale. Correlations, analysis of covariance, and a stepwise multiple regression were conducted to examine the relationship between the IMM Scale and the instruments listed above. The results of this study provide concurrent validity for the IMM Scale and support the construct validity of the IMM Scale as a measure of maturity. A number of descriptors for high and low scores on the IMM Scale are provided. This study does not support the use of the IMM Scale as a moderator variable in the MMPI-A Basic Scale interpretation

Adaptations and accommodations: The use of the WAIS III with people with a Learning Disability

Evidence of significant impairment in cognitive functioning has always been one of the main criteria of a learning disability (Pulsifer, 1996) and intellectual assessment is, therefore, one of the tasks of clinical psychologists working within learning disability services. Such assessments are commonly used to help establish of an individual’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, support needs and more specifically, to help determine if an individual falls within the remit of learning disability services (McKenzie & Murray, 2002, Evers & Hill, 1999). Intellectual assessments also have important implications in terms of mental health legislation, accessing benefits and services and informing legal decision-making processes (British Psychological Society, 2001, McKay, 1991). It is, therefore, crucial that the assessments are valid, reliable and used only by appropriately trained and qualified professionals. In Britain, it is emphasised that assessing an individual’s intellectual functioning requires an individually administered, standardised psychometric assessment which is reliable and valid (British Psychological Society, 2001), while in America professional mandates, such as the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA,APA & NCME, 1985) highlight the need for high standards of administrative accuracy from psychologists. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales - Third Edition (Wechsler, 1998) are commonly used in intellectual and neuropsychological assessment and are considered to be valid, reliable and well-standardised (Groth-Marnat et al, 2000). The Wechsler Scales have a long history and have undergone a number of revisions with the most recent being in 1997 with the development of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III). The purpose of these revisions was to insure that the standardisation sample was representative of current demographics and performance, to update the subtests, incorporate new subtests, and refine the instructions and test materials. Each revision has been well researched and validated (Groth Marnat et al, 2000)

The Future of Testing: Subject Index

The Future of Testing: Subject Index (6 pages) A Abilities assessment of, 158- 167 Academic skills, 101 , 102 Achievement testing, 3, 73- 89 Actuarial assessment , 194- 195 Adaptive testing, 37- 39, 83 , 84 and criterion referenced tests , 38 Albermarle Paper Company v. Moody, 132 American College Test (ACT), 76, 86 American Educational Research Association (AERA) , 100 American Psychological Association (APA), 100 Anderson v. Banks, 11 7, 128 Aptitude testing, 3, 73- 89 Aptitude-treatment interaction , 14 Armstead et 01. v. Stark ville Mississippi municipal separate school district, 118 ... W Wade v. Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, 132 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale , 210, 228 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 211 , 225 Wide Range Achievement Test, 2 1

Comparison of methods for estimating premorbid intelligence

To evaluate impact of neurological injury on cognitive performance it is typically necessary to derive a baseline (or ‘premorbid’) estimate of a patient’s general cognitive ability prior to the onset of impairment. In this paper, we consider a range of common methods for producing this estimate, including those based on current best performance, embedded ‘hold/no hold’ tests, demographic information, and word reading ability. Ninety-two neurologically healthy adult participants were assessed on the full Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008) and on two widely used word reading tests: National Adult Reading Test (NART; Nelson, 1982; Nelson & Willison, 1991) and Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR; Wechsler, 2001). Our findings indicate that reading tests provide the most reliable and precise estimates of WAIS-IV full-scale IQ, although the addition of demographic data provides modest improvement. Nevertheless, we observed considerable variability in correlations between NART/WTAR scores and individual WAIS-IV indices, which indicated particular usefulness in estimating more crystallised premorbid abilities (as represented by the verbal comprehension and general ability indices) relative to fluid abilities (working memory and perceptual reasoning indices). We discuss and encourage the development of new methods for improving premorbid estimates of cognitive abilities in neurological patients

Attention Problems, Inhibitory Control, and Intelligence Index Overlapping Genetic Factors: A Study in 9-, 12-, and 18-Year-Old Twins

It is assumed that attention problems (AP) are related to impaired executive functioning. We investigated the association between AP and inhibitory control and tested to what extent the association was due to genetic factors shared with IQ. Data were available from 3 independent samples of 9-, 12-, and 18-year-old twins and their siblings (1,209 participants). AP were assessed with checklists completed by multiple informants. Inhibitory control was measured with the Stroop Color Word Task (Stroop, 1935), and IQ with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Wechsler et al., 2002) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Wechsler, 1997). AP and inhibitory control were only correlated in the 12-year-old cohort (r =.18), but appeared non-significant after controlling for IQ. Significant correlations existed between AP and IQ in 9- and 12-year olds (r = -.26/-.34). Inhibitory control and IQ were correlated in all cohorts (r=-.16, -.24 and -.35, respectively). Genetic factors that influenced IQ also influenced inhibitory control. We conclude that the association between AP and inhibitory control as reported in the literature may largely derive from genetic factors that are shared with IQ