WISC-IV GAI and CPI profiles in healthy children and children with learning disabilities

Abstract

IntroductionIn addition to the FSIQ, the General Ability Index (GAI) and the Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) are two ancillary scores that can be calculated for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. The GAI and the CPI have been proposed to assist in identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and thus to provide different views into individual's cognitive abilities. ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study is to provide the frequency of GAI/CPI score difference by direction, the frequency of FSIQ/GAI score difference, and the frequency of FSIQ/CPI score difference, for the French Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Adolescents–Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). MethodThese frequencies are provided for a sample of healthy children (n=483), and for a sample of children with learning disabilities (LD, n=370). The GAI comprises verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning subtests, while CPI comprises working memory and processing speed subtests. ResultsResults indicated that the healthy sample performed better than the LD sample for all composite scores. The FSIQ was lower than the GAI for both groups and this difference was slightly larger for the LD sample (−1.35 points vs. −3.22 points). The GAI was higher than the CPI for both samples, but this difference was not significantly larger for the LD sample (4.2 points vs. 6.16 points). Finally, while the FSIQ was higher than the CPI for both groups, this difference was not larger for the LD sample (2.85 points vs. 2.95 points). ConclusionThese findings support the use of the GAI and the CPI, in addition to the FSIQ.