Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised Research Articles

WISC-R subscale patterns of abilities of Blacks and Whites matched on Full Scale IQ.

Groups of 270 black and 270 white children drawn from the national stratified random sample used in the standardization of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) were matched on age, sex, and WISC-R Full-Scale IQ to facilitate investigation of the patterns of specific cognitive abilities, as measured by the 12 subtests of the WISC-R, between the two racial groups. Multivariate analysis of the patterns of subtest differences between whites and blacks and group comparisons on three orthogonalized factor scores (verbal, performance, memory) show small but reliable average white-black differences in patterns of ability. The IQ-matched racial groups show no significant difference on the verbal factor; whites exceed blacks on the performance (largely spatial visualization) factor; blacks exceed whites on the memory factor. At least since the seminal study by Lesser, Fifer, and Clark (1965), differential psychologists have been aware that various racial or ethnic groups differ from one another, on average, more on some mental tests than on others. A battery of various tests thus shows different mean profiles or patterns of the measured abilities for different groups. Lesser, Fifer, and Clark (1965) administered tests of verbal, reasoning, number, and spatial abilities to 6-8-year-old Chinese, Jewish, black, and Puerto Rican children in New York City. The four groups showed distinctly different patterns of ability. The most striking finding of the study is that groups of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) within each ethnic group showed almost identical patterns of ability. SES in this study is related to overall level of ability rather than to differential profiles of abilities, which are related to ethnicity. A recent review (Willerman, 1979) of the major literature on this topic cites seven studies. In a more recent critique, Jensen (1980, pp. 729-736) has elaborated a number of the inherent methodological problems with such studies of differential patterns of abilities among various populations, making

Comparison of various WISC-R summary scores for a psychiatric sample.

Compared two sets of summary scores for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The traditional scores used to summarize information about WISC-R performance (i.e., Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ) and discrepancy between VIQ and PIQ) were compared to scores based on the three factors identified by Kaufman (1975) (i.e., Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO) and Freedom from Distractibility (FD). Ss were 260 psychiatric outpatients who were administered the WISC-R during a 4-year period. The independent variables were sex and DSM II diagnosis. There were significant main effects for diagnosis for the VC and FD scales. There was a significant interaction for VIQ and nonsignificant results for the VIQ-PIQ discrepancy score. The groups did not differ in perceptual organization skills as assessed by PO and PIQ. Delinquents performed particularly poorly on the VC scale; hyperactive children had the highest VC score and relatively low scores on the FD factor; learning disabled children had low VC and FD scores. These findings suggest that the scores based on Kaufman's factors provided important clinical summary information that was not available from the traditional scores.

Assessing the predictive validity of developmental milestones.

Parental report of development milestones influences the physician's decision to refer for developmental evaluation and early education. The predictive validity of commonly reported milestones was evaluated by collecting data from records in a comprehensive care clinic. Multivariate analyses determined the relationships among age of milestone achievement and Wechsler intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) intelligence quotient (IQ) scores. Other routinely collected medical and demographic information was then added, and stepwise regressions determined the best combinations of predictors of WISC-R IQ scores. Milestones alone predicted 24 to 42% of the variance in WISC-R IQ scores, suggesting that there are meaningful relationships between the age of attainment of milestones and later intellectual functioning. However, when other medical and demographic information was added to the prediction equation, the predictive power of milestones was overshadowed by that of the new variables. Milestones are validated as one criterion for referral for specialized early development services, but adding other objective data, including standardized developmental screening, is recommended for optimal decision making.

Use of the WISC-R and PPVT-R with mentally retarded children.

Explored the relationship between the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary test (PPVT-R) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for a sample of 38 mentally retarded children between the ages of 5--5 to 12--7. The PPVT-R correlated significantly with the WISC-R Verbal (.58), Performance (.48) and Full Scale (.59) IQ scores. There was no significant difference between the mean PPVT-R Standard Score Equivalent (59.9) and the mean WISC-R Verbal (59.5), Performance (62.4), or Full Scale (57.7) IG scores. Implications of these findings for the use of the PPVT-R are discussed.

The WISC-R as a Predictor of WRAT Achievement for Educable Mentally Handicapped Students

The present study investigated the predictive validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Full Scale IQ relative to the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic subtests as criterion measures for a group of 61 educable mentally handicapped (EMH) students in a public school setting. The results of a multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that WISC-R Full Scale IQ did not yield valid prediction of achievement as measured by the WRAT subtests. Cautions are presented with regard to generalizing the current findings to other student populations.

Correlation between the General Information Subtest of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Full Scale Intelligence Quotient of the WISC-R

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the raw scores on the General Information subtest of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) and full scale intelligence quotients determined by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Subjects were 144 children, ranging in age from 12 years 2 months to 16 years 11 months. Subjects were divided into mentally retarded (IQ < 75) and non-retarded (IQ > 75) groups. A relatively high correlation (r = .60) between the two instruments was obtained with the non-retarded population, whereas a low correlation (r = .05) was obtained with the retarded population. Race and sex of the subjects appeared not to be factors in the relationships. Results indicated that the PIAT General Information subtest is useful as a general screening instrument, but only with non-retarded subjects.

Race, social class and ability patterns on the WISC-R

The national standardization sample of whites and blacks on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) was the basis for a detailed analysis of the psychometric nature of racial and social class differences on the original 13 subscales of the WISC-R. The profiles of subtest scores of whites and blacks were compared directly and also after the racial groups were statistically equated on Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). Under the latter condition, the races differ only very slightly, although significantly, on some of the subtests, in ways generally contrary to popular expectations. The profile of white-black differences on the WISC-R subtests is markedly different, and negatively correlated with, the profiles of social class differences within each racial group, indicating that the pattern of racial differences is not explainable in terms of the difference in the average socio-economic status (SES) of blacks and whites. A Schmid-Leiman orthogonalized hierarchical factor analysis yields virtually identical factor structures and highly congruent factor loadings on the subtests for whites and blacks. Analysis of factor scores shows that by far the largest proportion of the variance between races is attributable to the general factor ( g) common to all the subtests, whereas the group factors (verbal, performance and memory) contribute only minutely to the interracial variance. Hence the white-black differences on the diverse subtests of the WISC-R, and in the Full Scale IQ, are interpreted primarily as a difference in Spearman's g, rather than as differences in the more specific factors peculiar to particular content, knowledge, acquired skills or type of test. However, some slight but significant differences in patterns of ability also occur that are independent of g.

WISC-R deviation quotients vs. traditional IQs: An examination of the standardization sample and some implications for score interpretation

Gutkin (1978, 1979) presented formulae for calculating factorially pure deviation quotients, with a X of 100 an S D of 15, for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (Wechsler, 1974). Using the standardization sample from the WISC-R, statistics were calculated to determine the impact of substituting these deviation quotients for the traditional verbal and performance IQs. The results indicated that despite very high correlations between the measures, changes of potential diagnostic significance occurred in the scores of over 50% of the sample (N = 2200). The potential utility of the factorially pure deviation quotients is discussed. A table is presented to facilitate the quick translation of scaled scores into these deviation quotients.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — Revised (WISC-R) Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses as Predictors of the Intelligence-Achievement Relationship

A unique procedure was used to investigate the number and utility of WISC-R strength and weakness patterns. The analysis indicated that 10 distinct patterns could account for the welter of variance within the WISC-R subtests. These patterns, derived from a sample of children referred for psychological evaluations, bore little resemblance to those proposed in the literature. Furthermore, when predicting reading and arithmetic achievement, knowledge of a youngster's pattern of strengths and weaknesses did not provide additional progrnostic power over that available using WISC-R full scale IQ alone.

Intelligence, achievement, and visual-motor performance among learning disabled and emotionally impaired children

This study investigated the performance of Learning Disabled (LD) and Emotionally Impaired (EI) children on intelligence, achievement, and visual-motor tests. An attempt was made to find patterns of performance and/or specific variables that would aid in identification and differentiation of these two groups. Eighty elementary school children were selected on the basis of their placement within either a learning disability or emotionally impaired classroom, according to the specifications of Michigan Mandatory Special Education Guidelines. The LD group consisted of 38 subjects and the EI group of 42. All of the children were tested on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and the Minnesota-Percepto-Diagnostic Test (MPD). In addition, age and sex were investigated. The data were analyzed by discriminant function analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis. A cutoff score was established that significantly separated the LD and EI children. It was also established which of the test scoring variables used were the best predictors.

Uses and abuses of the WISC-R with the learning disabled.

A review of the literature regarding the utility of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) with learning disabled students was conducted. The WISC-R has demonstrated reliability and validity when used with LD populations in the assessment of intelligence, although a paradox exists. Diagnosing learning disabilities through the use of WISC-R patterns is not supported. The WISC-R is suggested as a basis for hypotheses about the individual LD student's cognitive style and as an indicator of the direction further assessment should take. It is concluded that the WISC-R can be an adjunct to LD diagnosis and one step in educational planning for the LD student.

Magnitude and direction of WISC-R verbal-performance IQ discrepancies among adjudicated male delinquents

A field study is reported in which the discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal skills among 150 adjudicated male delinquents was assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) and evaluated with respect to three interpretations of the observed differences. Alternative explanations were that the verbal-nonverbal disparity among delinquents (a) represented a group-by-test interaction producing unusually large discrepancies, (b) was a function of intelligence level of the sample, and (c) was no more frequent among delinquents than nondelinquents when socioeconomic status (SES) was controlled. Results indicated that the WISC-R Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancy occurred reliably more often among delinquents than among controls. Individual differences within the two groups could be attributed neither to a group-by-test interaction, SES, or intelligence level. It was concluded that cognitive mediators of delinquent behavior differ mainly in degree form those of non-delinquents, and intellectual asymmetry is a concomitant variable significantly associated with delinquent behavior.

A multivariate comparison of the intellectual performance of black and white children matched on four demographic variables

This study investigated the performance of 285 matched pairs of Black and White children from the standardization sample on the 12 subtests and 3 IQ scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R). The children were matched on four demographic variables found in a previous (Reynolds and Gutkin, 1979) study to be significantly related to WISC-R performance: sex, socioeconomic status as determined by the occupation of the head of household, region of residence in the U.S. and urban vs rural residence. Multivariate analysis of variance comparing performance across race on the 15 dependent variables revealed that Whites exceeded Blacks on all tasks except Digit Span—a test of rote memory. Results were also related to the evaluation of the Spearman hypothesis.

A Theoretical Model of the Acquisition of Peer Relationships of Learning Disabled Children

Children with learning disabilities were divided into three subgroups using a method of analyzing the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtest scores. The study examined the differences in the acquisition of positive peer relationships between children with conceptual, spatial, and sequential disabilities. It was found that children with conceptual and spatial disabilities were less likely to be accepted by other learning disabled children than children with sequential disabilities. The results are discussed in terms of a theoretical model developed by the author. Learning disabled children's problems in acquiring positive peer relationships are thought to result partially from their social perceptual and social cognitive deficits, which are a function of the perceptual processing deficits that underly the learning disability.

Relationship of the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children and Intelligence

An issue in the literature relative to the System of Multi-cultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) has been the independence of the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (1, 2. 4). The inventory is purported to measure a child's nonacademic behavior and ability to function in everyday life situations (3). Measured by a parental interview are the child's performance within the family, peer community, nonacademic school activities; activities for independent functioning and social performance from the perspeeive of the home. The WISC-R scores are evaluated in the SOMPA model as a measure of school functioning, i.e., school achievement, and not as an over-all aptirude. Oakland (4) reported a .28 correlation between the inventory and WISC-R Full Scale IQ which is higher than correlations reported by Mercer and Lewis (3). Oakland (4) indicated, . . the ABIC does not correlate highly with intelligence or (p. 65). Oakland's findings are consistent with the view of Mercer and Lewis that the inventory is conceptually independent of achievement and intelligence and that there is minimal redundancy among measures (3). The intent of the present investigation was to study the relationship of scores on the inventory and the WISC-R Full Scale. Twenty-two male and 15 female clients of a Developmental Evaluation Center were tested. There were 11 black and 26 white children; their ages ranged from 62 mo. to 137 mo.; M age = 91 mo. and SD = 24 mo. The WISC-R wa administered by the clinic's psychological staff and scores on the Adaptive Behavior Inventory were obtained through parental interviews by a trained case worker. A Pearson correlation computed for the group for the two measures was significant (r = .50, p < .05). Mean scores for the group for the WISC-R Full Scale and inventory were 83 (SD = 16.3) and 37.9 (SD = 12.9), respectively. The correlations for the six sub-scales of the Ada~tive Behavior Inventow and the WISC-R Full Scale were: family, .46; community, .41; peer relations, .43; nonacademic school roles, 33; earner/ consumer, .45; and self-maintenance, .53. Such data do not support the notion of little relationship between the Adaptive Behavior Inventory and WISC-R Full Scale. The possible utility of the SOMPA model requires careful and repeated documentation of the assumptions. The present research is exploratory and heuristic; generalizations to other samples should be cautious. The contrast of these results with those of Oakland (4) and Mercer and Lewis (3) and the increasing use of the model for assessment of children require further examination of the relation between the two measures.

Relationship between PPVT and WISC-R in children with reading disabilities

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), Form A was compared to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in two samples of children with reading disabilities. One group of 14 children, referred to a university clinic, were administered the WISC-R, followed by the PPVT. The second group of 38 children from a private learning disability center were administered the PPVT first, followed by the WISC-R. In the combined sample, the PPVT IQ (X̄ = 109.2) was significantly higher than the WISC-R Verbal IQ (X̄ = 98.9), Performance IQ (X̄ = 97.0), and Full Scale IQ (X̄ = 97.5). Similarly, the PPVT IQ was significantly higher than the WISC-R Full Scale in both samples separately, regardless of which test was administered first. In one case, the PPVT IQ was 50 points higher than the WISC-R IQ. Correlations between the PPVT and WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were significant (rs = .56, .29, and .50, respectively). The results suggest that the two tests do not provide interchangeable IQs for a population of reading disabled children.

The Relationship Between Performance on the Mazes Subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) and Speed of Solving Anagrams With Simple and Difficult Arrangements of Letter Order

From a total sample of 100 seventh grade students who had been given nine maze tests, two subgroups of the 30 highest-scoring and the 30 lowest-scoring subjects (the HSM and LSM groups) were formed. Within each of these two group 15 members were randomly assigned to an experimental condition involving exposure to a list of 10 5-letter anagrams with a simple letter order (SLO) arrangement, and the other 15 members to an experimental condition necessitating exposure to a list of 10 5-letter anagrams with a difficult letter order (DLO) arrangement. Each anagram required a single solution. In the resulting 2 x 2 factorial design the two-way analysis of vari ance revealed statistically significant differences in mean amount of time required to solve the anagrams relative to placement in the HSM or LSM group ( p &lt; .001) and with respect to exposure to the SLO or DLO anagram task ( p &lt; .001). No statistically reliable interaction effect was noted. About 18% of the variance in time scores for solution of anagrams was associated with the complexity level of the anagram task; approximately 20%, with placement in the HSM or LSM group. Within the subsample exposed to the SLO anagram task the concurrent validity (point biserial) coefficient between time scores and the criterion variable of placement in the HSM or LSM group was -.489 ( p &lt; .01); within the subsample given the DLO anagram task, the corresponding coefficient was -.633 ( p &lt; .01). It was concluded that a relationship existed between success in maze performance and proficiency in solving anagrams. It appeared that a common psychological construct of flexibility might account for this association.

Social judgments by children of short stature.

Recent psychiatric literature suggests that short stature in childhood may be associated with poor social judgment and a lack of adaptive competitiveness. In the present study these personal characteristics were evaluated for short children using the Picture Arrangement subtest from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The test was administered either under experimental-competitive or standard conditions to 31 short male children and to 29 age-matched boys of normal stature. Significant differences in mean scaled scores were found between the short and normal groups. Increased scores under the competitive condition were observed for both groups. In contrast to previous reports, these results suggest that short children respond positively to competitive tasks. The findings are discussed in terms of emphasizing coping mechanisms of short children.

Impulsivity-reflectivity and children's intellectual performance.

Fifty-eight students ranging in age from 8 to 11 years were administered the Matching Familiary Figures test and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The primary purpose of the study was to determine if impulsive and reflective subjects differed on the major factors of the WISC-R. Reflective children scored significantly higher than impulsive children on the attention-concentration subtests and the visual organization subtests. The two groups did not differ significantly on the verbal comprehension subtests.

WISC-R Information and Digit Span Scores of American and Canadian Children

This study investigated differences in per formance between third-grade American and Cana dian children on two subtests of the Wechsler In telligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R). The Information subtest, which is culturally laden, and the Digit Span subtest, which is less subject to cultural factors, were administered to 30 American and 30 Canadian children. Mean Information scores in the two groups were not significantly dif ferent, but Canadian children scored significantly higher on Digit Span. This difference was attri butable to their higher mean score on Digit Span Forward. Canadian and American Digit Span Backward mean scores did not differ. Results are discussed in terms of Canadian and American educational and test-taking experiences.