4 - The development, expansion, and future of the WAIS-IV as a cornerstone in comprehensive cognitive assessments

Abstract

Standardized intellectual assessment has been a part of Western culture for over 100 hundred years. The first Wechsler scale designed to assess adult intellectual ability was published nearly 80 years ago. Throughout the 20th and early 21st century, the Wechsler scales have been updated and revised to meet the needs of current users and examinees. These revisions incorporate the cumulative knowledge gained from ongoing cognitive and neuropsychological research, changes in theoretical models of intellectual ability, and advances in statistical and psychometric procedures. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—fourth edition is the most current edition of the adult scale. The WAIS-IV was developed over a period of 5 years from initial research planning and blueprint to final publication. Significant changes were made to the content and structure of the WAIS-IV compared to the previous edition. The WAIS-IV provides an updated index structure consistent with factor analytic research. New subtests were developed to reduce the impact of nonconstruct related variance. Subtest content and scoring was updated to reflect the global use of the test and for consistency with culture changes. The new structure, subtests, and content were standardized on a large, representative population of the United States and validated on a number of important clinical samples. The WAIS-IV companion tools including the Wechsler Memory Scale—fourth edition and the Advanced Clinical Solutions for the WAIS-IV/WMS-IV are described in this chapter.