A Comparison of Wisc and Wisc-R Scores of Sixth Grade Students: Implications for Validity

Abstract

Fifty-nine sixth-grade volunteers, 32 males, 27 females, 10 blacks, 49 whites were administered both the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Each student was tested in two separate sessions by the same examiner. The students were randomly divided into two groups with one group administered the WISC first and the other administered the WISC-R first. The scores of both groups were combined to form the Total Group. In the Total Group, the mean WISC-R Verbal Scale (VS) and Full Scale (FS) IQ scores were significantly lower than the corresponding mean WISC IQ scores. Although the differences between WISC and WISC-R mean IQ scores were not so great as those found by some other investigators, the findings do support previous research which has revealed the mean WISC-R FS scores to be lower than mean WISC FS scores. However, the correlation coefficients between the WISC and WISC-R for all three IQ scores were significant. Thus, the two instruments do appear to be measuring similar abilities.