Indicators of Brain Dysfunction Derived from Graphic Representations of the WAIS-III/WMS-III Technical Manual Clinical Samples Data: A Preliminary Approach to Clinical Utility

Abstract

Index Scores for clinical samples reported in the Technical Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Third edition (WAIS-III) and Wechsler Memory Scale, Third edition (WMS-III; Psychological Corporation, 1997) are graphically presented. The WAIS-III Processing Speed Index (PSI) emerges as universally depressed in these samples. Although the effect of other factors, such as anxiety or depression on the PSI remain to be determined, these data hold forth the hope that the PSI will prove to be particularly sensitive to many forms of brain dysfunction. The data suggest that the WMS-III Visual Index may also prove highly sensitive to brain compromise. Along with this sensitivity of the visual memory tests to bilateral or diffuse conditions, lateralized hippocampectomy samples data show encouraging modality (auditory vs. visual) effects. Finally, compared with the Immediate Memory Index, the WMS-III General Memory Index (measuring delayed recall and recognition) does not exhibit greater sensitivity to the memory deficiencies of most of the patient samples for whom data are available.