Chapter 12 - The WAIS-III and WMS-III: Practical Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Abstract

This chapter addresses some important practical issues that may not be explicitly covered in the manuals that accompany the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) and Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III). The unfamiliarity of new or updated tests can pose barriers to adopting such measures in clinical practice. In addition, when major changes are made in a revised version of an instrument, there is a healthy uncertainty about applying previously formed assumptions and interpretations of test performance to the new measure. However, the WAIS-III and WMS-III make good clinical sense, even if one is satisfied with previous versions of these tests. The chapter provides frequently asked questions that may be of particular interests to clinicians at various levels of experience and highlights some of the most current research pertaining to the WAIS-III and WMS-III. On the WMS-III, impaired individuals often have difficulty to understand the instructions for “verbal paired associates” and “family pictures”. The confusion on “family pictures” often occurs during the recall questions after the scenes have been presented, so it is necessary that the task be as clear as possible to the examinee before beginning the test in order to ensure maximal performance. Therefore, adequate attention is imperative for examinees to perform at their optimal level.