Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised Research Articles

Nature and prevalence of learning disabilities in a child psychiatric population

The protocols of over 500 children from a psychiatric hospital were evaluated to determine the nature and prevalence of learning disabilities in this population. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised (WISC‐R), the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and the revised form (WRAT‐R) were used in our analysis. The distribution of IQ and achievement scores in this population, unlike other studies of psychiatric patients, was within normal limits, and therefore, comparable to a nonpsychiatric school age population. The prevalence of learning disabilities in this group, however, is relatively high as compared to a nonpsychiatric population. The proportion of reading achievement disabilities was significantly lower than the proportion of children with arithmetic achievement disabilities. In fact, the modal achievement profile in this child psychiatric setting was reading achievement greater than arithmetic. Neither IQ nor academic achievement nor the discrepancy between the two varied as a function ...

Neuropsychological aspects of reading and spelling performance in children with learning disabilities

For a sample of 1347 (1004 boys, and 343 girls) learning disabled children, scores on the Halstead‐Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised (WISC‐R) were regressed on both reading and spelling subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT). The results showed 39% of reading and 33% of spelling variability was accounted for by neuropsychological functioning. Common neuropsychological predictors were found to be the most salient for both areas of achievement. Scores on neuropsychological measures were regressed on an index which conceptualized reading and spelling on a continuum. The results suggest that reading and spelling should be viewed as separate functions that share some common neuropsychological elements.

Assessing the Commonality of the WISC-R and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery with Learning-Disordered Children

The present investigation examined the neuropsychological constructs that underlie the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Data from administrations of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNB) and WISC-R were gathered for 1,079 learning-disabled children. A multiple regression analysis was employed to examine the contribution of each HRNB measure in the prediction of individual WISC-R subtests. Overall, verbal auditory discrimination presented as the most salient underlying construct of the WISC-R Verbal subtests, followed by concept formation and nonverbal auditory discrimination. Neuropsychological measures of the HRNB that involved perceptual organization were found to play a key role in defining the underlying constructs of the WISC-R Performance subtests. Similar to the above procedure, a second analysis was performed to assess the neuropsychological underpinnings of Kaufman's three factors (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility). Of the three factors, the HRNB measures explained similar amounts in the Freedom from Distractability (21%) and the Perceptual Organization (20.9%) factors in contrast to the Verbal Comprehension (7.3 %0) factor. Overall, these results indicate an interrelationship among several basic neuropsychological processes and higher-level cognitive functioning as represented on the WISC-R.

Comparative Efficacy of K-ABC Subtests VS. WISC-R Subtests in the Differential Classification of Learning Disabilities

Comparison of IQ-subtest scores has gained new popularity with the recent introduction of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The present study addressed questions pertinent to the utility of K-ABC subtests in differentiating LD children from students classified as EMR, SEM, and referred but Unclassified. In addition, it directly compared the efficacy of K-ABC subtests vs. subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in this task. The sample consisted of 265 children (181 males, 84 females) referred for psychological evaluations; 171 were classified LD. The LD group was further divided into two subgroups: those who showed significant ability-achievement discrepancies (LDdisc; n = 42) and those who did not (LDno; n = 129). Hierarchical discriminant-function analyses showed that subtest scores from both the K-ABC and the WISC-R differentiated the LDdisc group from children in the other categories. However, subsequent classification analyses revealed that neither the K-ABC nor the WISC-R was capable of returning children to their correct placements. Results, therefore, indicate that subtest scores from the K-ABC and the WISC-R were incapable of enhancing the differential classification of LD over rates obtainable on the basis of chance.

Use of the Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children with the hearing impaired.

The Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), a measure of cognitive functioning, was administered to 26 male and 24 female hearing-impaired elementary school students to determine its appropriateness for hearing-impaired children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) also was administered. Scores for the present hearing-impaired sample on the K-ABC were compared with the normative group and were correlated with the WISC-R and standard achievement test scores. Results showed that both the Simultaneous Processing Scale and the Nonverbal Scale seemed appropriate for hearing-impaired children, whose scores were similar to those of the test's normative sample. Scores on the K-ABC also correlated highly with scores from the WISC-R. The Sequential Processing Scale was more problematic and not as useful. The K-ABC was significantly related to school achievement. Difficulties in the administration of the instrument with hearing-impaired children also are discussed.

Factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and Peabody Individual Achievement Test in a psychiatric sample

This study analyzed the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) in a psychiatric sample that ranged in age from 6 to 16 years (mean age = 11.1 years; SD = 3.0). The resultant factor structure of this sample was compared with patterns reported on normal and learning-disabled children. The subjects were 329 children under inpatient and outpatient care who had been referred for emotional disturbances. The results were similar to previous factor analytic studies of the WISC-R and PIAT, showing four factors: Verbal Comprehension, Verbal Achievement, Perceptual Organization, and Number Facility. The implications for the interpretation of these tests in a psychiatric sample and the appropriateness of a maximum likelihood technique in analysis of psychometric data are discussed.

Pattern analysis of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children-revised profiles of delinquent boys.

To help meet the prescriptive needs of juvenile delinquents more effectively, an analysis of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), utilizing Lutey's model of Factor Analytic measures, was performed on 82 profiles obtained from male subjects (aged 13-16) in a Wisconsin correctional facility. Results support the trends of previous studies of juvenile delinquency; a significant 70% of the subjects (chi 2 6.4, p less than .05) had a higher Performance than Verbal score (M = 13.2). The Performance-Verbal results were also significant (t = 4.824, p less than .001). Object Assembly, Picture Completion, and Picture Arrangement were the three highest subtests and Information, Vocabulary, and Coding/Comprehension the lowest. Clusters that measure perceptual and psychomotor abilities yielded high scores, while most verbal ability clusters, Memory, Verbal Comprehension, Freedom from Distractability, and General Factor scores were the lowest. Results indicate that prescriptive models should consider these findings in planning successful educational programs for this population. The need for further studies that involve extensive assessments which include neurological testing for various age groups and gender populations is stressed.

School Psychologists' Evaluation of the K-ABC, McCarthy Scales, Stanford-Binet IV, and WISC-R

A national survey of 856 school psychologists was conducted to assess practitioners' perceptions of the intellectual domains assessed by, and the ease of administration, interpretation, and usefulness of, four commonly used measures of intelligence: the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children; the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities; the Stanford-Binet, Form IV; and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. A 31% return rate was attained, which resulted in 267 completed surveys returned. Results indicated that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was by far the most popular instrument and was perceived as the most valid measure of intelligence, the overall “best test,” and as the test that provides the most useful diagnostic information.

Distribution of Relative Attention Deficits on the WISC-R by Age, Sex, Social Class, and Region

We examined the demographic distribution of 102 subjects with attention deficits in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (Wechsler, 1974) standardization sample. Neither age nor occupational status was significant; males were overrepresented (3:1); and the West was overrepresented by 50%, largely due to the relatively high proportion of females in the West who appeared within the attention deficit sample (41% in West vs. 19% in the rest of the nation). Replication is encouraged.

Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Hong Kong-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

The purpose of this study was to assess the developmental and the cultural invariance of the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Both the WISC-R and an adapted version of the WISC-R, adapted for use in Hong Kong, called the HK-WISC, were examined by using confirmatory factor analysis. Age groups of children 7, 10, and 13 years old were studied to assess the developmental invariance of the WISC-R and of the HK-WISC. The results supported the conjecture of cultural invariance of the WISC-R.

Three-year stability of WISC-R factor scores for black and white, female and male children classified as learning-disabled

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) test and retest scores for a homogeneous sample ( N=322) of approximately equal numbers of black and white, female and male learning-disabled children were compared over 3 years for factor structure and factor structure stability. These analyses were also conducted with a subsample ( N=229) of the total sample for whom Digit Span scores were available. The socioeconomic status of children in the sample was determined by parents' occupation. The results suggested that WISC-R factor structure was stable over 3 years. Two-and three-factor solutions were found for the total group; three factors were found when Digit Span was included in the analysis. Coefficients of congruence indicated factorial similarity between groups of black and white, female and male children classified as learning-disabled.

Construct validity of the PPVT with neuropsychological, intellectual, and achievement measures.

The present investigation examined the construct validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) with learning-disabled children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Wide Range Achievement Test, and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery were administered to 934 learning-disabled children. Seven factors were isolated on the basis of a principal-components factor analysis and Varimax rotation. PPVT scores were found to load on a factor similar to what has been labeled verbal comprehension on the WISC-R with little secondary loadings on any of the remaining six factors. Implications for practitioners and further research were discussed.

A comparison between intelligence and neuropsychological functioning

The overlap of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) was investigated in light of their use in diagnosing children's learning problems. Scores for 1,181 children on the WISC-R and the HRNB were related using a canonical correlational analysis. One significant correlation emerged, R c=.64. Further analyses indicated that some 10% of the variance of both the HRNB and the WISC-R were redundant. The primary source of overlap between measures was attributed to cognitive functions. In an effort to explore the constructs for both measures, data from the WISC-R and the HRNB were submitted to a factor analysis. Six factors emerged, three of which corresponded closely to those usually reported for the WISC-R. The implications for assessing children's learning disabilities are discussed.

Demographic Distribution of Third Factor Deficits in the Standardization Sample of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised

Clampit and Silver (in press) reported that girls from the West appeared twice as often as nonwestern girls in a subset of children with Third Factor deficits, drawn from the standardization sample of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). We sought to replicate these findings for the entire WISC-R standardization sample, using the discrepancy between deviation quotients as a measure of Third Factor deficits. Regression analysis showed that, even after controlling for other demographic factors, children in the western region had significantly larger Third Factor discrepancies than their cohort population elsewhere. Furthermore, most of this difference was accounted for by unusually large discrepancies among girls from the West. In addition to these regional differences, sex, occupational class, and urban/rural differences were significant in explaining discrepancies.

Cognitive and Neuropsychological Correlates of Academic Achievement: A Levels of Analysis Assessment Model

Regression techniques were used to evaluate whether combining a subtest of a cognitive battery and a subtest of a neuropsychological battery contributes to educational asessment. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Halstead Reitan Battery for Older Children (9-14), the Wide Range Achievement Test, and the Analytical Reading Inventory were administered to 49 children aged 10 to 12 referred to a medical center for assessment of school learning problems. Correlations between subtests in the cognitive battery (WISC-R) and the neuropsychological battery (Halstead-Reitan) indicated both common and unique variance between these batteries. When combinations of a cognitive and a neuropsychological subtest were compared to a single cognitive or neuropsychological subtest alone, significantly more variance in word decoding, reading comprehension, and arithmetic was explained by combinations than by single subtests. These findings show that cognitive and neuropsychological subtests are not redundant and that inclusion of both improves educational assessment. Both cognitive and neuropsychological testing are needed for inferences about levels of function within working brain systems related to school achievement.

Relationship of auditory discrimination ability to WISC‐R subtest performance in learning‐disabled children

We examined the relationship of auditory discrimination ability, as measured by the Speech Sounds Perception and the Seashore Rhythm tests of the Halstead‐Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB), to Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised (WISC‐R) subtest performance with 1,024 children referred for learning difficulties. Results of a canonical analysis for the HRNB auditory discrimination measures with the WISC‐R subtests yielded two significant canonical correlations. Interpretable WISC‐R subtests included Digit Span, Arithmetic, Information, and Block Design for the first canonical correlation. The Similarities and Information subtests were interpretable variables in the second canonical correlation. Results are discussed in view of the underlying constructs of the interpretable subtests’ relationship to auditory discrimination ability. These data suggest that examination of specific WISC‐R subtests is useful in evaluating children referred for learning disabilities.

Construct validity of neuropsychological instrumentation with a learning disabled population

The construct validity of the Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Test Battery (R-INB)for Children with a learning disabled population was examined. Forty-two subjects classified as learning disabled also were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) subtests. Factor analysis of the data revealed four factors: verbal intelligence, psychomotor speed, achievement, and memory. Evidence from this study indicates that the overall construct paradigm as conceptualized by the author of the R-INB does not exist. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Factor analysis of the WISC-R and the Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition for a referral sample

The purpose of this study was to determine if a common factor structure was evident in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition (ABS-SE) for a sample of 171 children referred for evaluation of learning and behavior problems. The WISC-R subtests (excluding Mazes) and the ABS-SE factor domain scores (Personal Self-Sufficiency, Community Self-Sufficiency, Personal-Social Responsibility, Social Adjustment, and Personal Adjustment) were subjected to an exploratory principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation. ANOVAs were conducted on each of the derived factors to determine race and sex effects. The results indicated no common factor structure in the instruments, the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Independent Functioning, Maladaptive Behavior, and Freedom From Distractibility factors being extracted. The derived factors were very similar to those identified in standardization data and other studies. Perceptual Organization and Social Adjustment showed sex and race effects, respectively, although each model accounted for only about 7% of the variance.

Long-Term Stability of Intelligence and Achievement Scores in Specific-Learning-Disabilities Samples

To compile data useful for informed reevaluation decisions that concern specific-learning-disabled (SLD) children, the stability of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) scores was assessed over a period of approximately 3 years in two samples of SLD children. Both samples began in a part-time learning-disabilities program (SLD-P). At the second WISC-R testing, 68 students remained in the part-time program, and 31 students had been placed in a full-time SLD program (SLD-PF). The WISC-R IQ reliabilities were high with the exception of Verbal IQ(VIQ) in the SLD-PF group. WRAT scores were less reliable. For both groups, VIQs decreased and Performance IQs (PIQs) increased over time. In the SLD-P group WRAT-Math scores decreased over time, and in the SLD-PF group WRAT-Spelling scores decreased over time. Regression analyses that used time in program as a covariate revealed unimpressive effects of program on WISC-R and WRAT scores. Cautions about program placement and the experimental design are discussed.

Genetic and environmental covariance structures among WISC-R subtests: A twin study

Genetic and environmental correlations among 11 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtests were estimated from a sample of 143 twin pairs using the methodology of multivariate behavioral genetics. The genetic correlations among subtests varied in magnitude and exhibited a pattern similar to corresponding phenotypic correlations. Correlations due to within-pair environmental influences were generally small, whereas those due to shared environmental influences tended to be intermediate. Several hypotheses regarding the structures of the additive-genetic, common environmental, and within-pair environmental covariance matrices were tested and evidence for differential factor structures was obtained. A model hypothesizing a three-factor structure for the genetic covariance matrix, a single factor for the common environmental matrix, and a single factor plus specifics for the within-pair environmental matrix fit the data well. Thus, the three-factor phenotypic structure typically observed in Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) data may be due largely to genetic influences.