Relationship among McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities,WPPSI, and Columbia mental maturity scale

Concurrent validity of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for 60 kindergartners was investigated, using the WPPSI and Columbia Mental Maturity Scale. Although correlations were of acceptable magnitude, the General Cognitive Index of the MSCA was significantly lower than major scores obtained on the other two tests. Analyses of the different scales of the MSCA are also reported.     

The performance of preschoolers with speech/language disorders on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was used to evaluate the performance of preschool children with speech/language disorders. Preschoolers were screened first for normal intelligence using the Performance scale of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). Preschoolers with speechllanguage disorders had significantly lower scores on all scales of the MSCA (Verbal, Perceptual/Performance, Quantitative, and Memory), except the Motor scale. They also had an average 20-point lower GCI than the control children. An analysis of the scores of the speechllanguage group on subtests revealed difficulty in short- term auditory memory skills but not in short-term visual memory skills. Deficits in categorical thinking skills and verbal expression skills were also evident. Characteriza- tion of learning disabilities in preschoolers with speechllanguage disorders is discussed.     

Interpreting WISC-R and McCarthy scatter: A caution

In this investigation, indices of scatter on the WISC-R and McCarthy Scales were examined for 20 educable mentally retarded and 20 learning disabled children in relation to a similar control group. The scatter found in the two exceptional samples was also compared to the variability found in the standardization samples of the WISC-R and McCarthy. Results indicated that the learning-disabled sample exhibited more WISC-R subtest scatter and McCarthy Scale variability than the standardization sample but not more than the control group. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

McCarthy scales,McCarthy screening test,and Kaufman's McCarthy short form correlations with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test

In this investigation, the relationships between the McCarthy Scales General Cognitive Index, the McCarthy Screening Test, Kaufman's McCarthy short form, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test were examined. The sample included 39 children randomly selected from four classes in an elementary school. Results indicated that the Estimated General Cognitive Index by Kaufman's short form was virtually identical to the McCarthy Scales (full form) Index. The McCarthy Scales, McCarthy Screening Test, and Kaufman's short form all correlated significantly (p=.01) with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, with the exception of the McCarthy Motor Scale. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the Peabody Total Test/Kaufman McCarthy short form correlation of.55 and the Peabody Total Test/McCarthy Screening Test correlation of.54 (t=0.09). Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Concurrent validity of the PPVT-R for “at risk” preschool children

The PPVT-R and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were compared in a counterbalanced design for 35 preschool children identified previously as being “at risk.” Nonsignificant differences were found between Forms L and M of the PPVT-R and the McCarthy GCI. Correlations between the PPVT-R and the McCarthy GCI and Scale scores all were significant and in the moderate range of .41 to .69. Alternate form reliability of the PPVT-R was .87.     

The McCarthy scales of children's abilities as a predictor of reading readiness and reading achievement

The purpose of the present study was to determine if the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities could be utilized as a predictor of reading readiness and reading achievement. Thirty-three kindergarten children were tested with the McCarthy Scales and subsequently examined with the MacMillan Reading Readiness Test and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. A correlational analysis of data resulted in significant relationships between McCarthy General Cognitive Indexes, Quantitative, and Perceptual-Performance Scales and both the MacMillan and Metropolitan Tests. Based upon these correlations, it was hypothesized that, for this sample of children, visual discrimination and sequential ability skills may have been crucial factors in reading readiness and reading achievement, rather than verbal abilities.     

Interpreting the profile of McCarthy scale indexes: A revision

Silverstein's approach to the interpretation of test profiles was applied to the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. This resulted in differences required for significance that are two points greater than those suggested by Kaufman and Kaufman.     

Diagnostic use of the WISC-R and McCarthy Scales: A regression analysis approach to learning disabilities

Thirty learning disabled and 30 nonlearning disabled students were individually administered the WISC-R, McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, and the Wide Range Achievement Test. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the combination of scores from the WISC-R and McCarthy Scales that best predicted the achievement level of the subjects. In addition, the scores that best predicted group status (LD or nonLD) were determined. In general, the WISC-R Comprehension, Arithmetic, and Object Assembly, and the McCarthy Quantitative and Memory Indices were most sensitive to the LD students' achievement. Conversely, the WISC-R Similarities and Arithmetic and the McCarthy Verbal Index were most sensitive to the achievement of nonLD students. Finally, the McCarthy Perceptual-Performance Index and the WISC-R Vocabulary subtest best discriminated group status. The diagnostic implications of these results were discussed.     

A guide to McCarthy interpretation

The aim of the present study was to develop a system of tables to facilitate interpretation of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. Tables are presented that organize the McCarthy subtests according to Bannatyne's, Sattler's, and Meeker's systems of interpretation. In addition, tables that organize the McCarthy Scales into categories that reflect factors likely to influence various subtests are presented. These tables will provide a more structured approach to McCarthy interpretation and a straightforward empirical method for generating hypotheses regarding individual strengths and weaknesses in intellectual ability.     

Differences in field dependence-independence cognitive style as a function of socioeconomic status,sex, and cognitive competence

This study analyzes the field dependence-independence (FDI) cognitive style—ascertained and measured by means of the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) — as a function of socioeconomic status, sex, and cognitive competence — measured on the McCarthy Scales—in 7-year-old children. The tests were administered to 117 subjects, of whom 79 were of low socioeconomic status (50 girls and 29 boys) and 38 were of upper-middle socioeconomic status (20 girls and 18 boys). All subjects were in their second year of primary education. Subjects of upper-middle socioeconomic status achieved significantly higher scores than did subjects of low socioeconomic status on the five McCarthy Scales and on the FDI variable. The sex variable produced differences only in the FDI variable, where boys scored higher than girls. Perceptual ability explains 22.84% of the FDI variance; verbal ability is excluded from the regression equation that analyzes such dependence. Finally, the interpretation of FDI as a stylistic or cognitive variable is discussed.     

SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING PROGRAMMED LEARNING

The McCarthy Scales are a versatile and increasingly popular test of children's cognitive abilities. However, much of their high standing as an assessment instrument rests on the construct validity of each of the ability scales. A major recent study of the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales concluded that only the General Cognitive Index stood up to critical evaluation. The purpose of the present paper is to highlight some inadequacies in this critical study, and then to give an evaluation of the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales which is based on the findings from recent British research.     

The McCarthy scales of Children's Abilities as a predictor of achievement: A five-year follow-up

The purpose of the present study was to determine if the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities could be utilized as a predictor of achievement over a six-year period. Twenty-four kindergarten children were tested with the McCarthy Scales and subsequently examined with the Comprehensive Testing Program achievement tests in sixth grade. A correlational analysis of the data resulted in significant relationships between the McCarthy General Cognitive Index, Quantitative Scale, and Memory Scale and both the CTP and course grades. The McCarthy Perceptual-Performance Scale showed significant correlations with the CTP but not with course grades; the Verbal Scale was not predictive of academic achievement. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

Cross-validation of the factor structure of the McCarthy scales for kindergarten children

This study was designed to cross-validate the factor structure of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for children 5 to 6 1/2 years of age. A factor analysis was performed on a group of 105 children with a mean General Cognitive Index (GCI) of 115.42. The subjects ranged in age from 4–11 to 6–7 with a mean age of 5–6. The age variable was partialled from each score using multiple regression procedures. Five factors were generated, including Verbal Comprehension, Quantitative-Reasoning, Memory, Perceptual-Performance, and Motor factors. These data were subsequently compared to Kaufman's factor analytic studies with the McCarthy standardization group, and to the scale structure of the instrument. In general, the overall factor pattern of this study provides further evidence of the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales for kindergarten children.     

Concurrent validity of the revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

In this investigation, the relationships between the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were explored. The sample included 26 children randomly selected from three classes in an elementary school. The Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test correlated positively and significantly with the Peabody Individual Achievement Test's total score (.53) and most of its subtests. The Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test also correlated significantly with the Verbal, Quantitative, Memory, and General Cognitive Indexes of the McCarthy Scales (Median r = .76). The mean Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test score was 104.6 and nearly identical to the McCarthy General Cognitive Index (104.4) but significantly smaller than the Peabody Individual Achievement total test score (114.5).     

Laterality and motor skills in four-year-olds

From a population of 512 4-year-olds attending preschools, 41 children were identified as left-handed and 23 as lacking definite hand preference. Using the McCarthy Motor Scales and a fine-motor scale designed by the investigator, these children were compared with right-handers matched for age, sex, and preschool attended. T tests indicated no difference between left-handers and right-handers of either sex, but the children lacking hand preference had lower scores than right-handers. Implications for the education of children lacking handedness and possible sex differences are discussed.     

A comparison of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities with preschool children

The purpose of the present study was to determine the degree to which performance on the McCarthy Scaies of Children's Abilities correlated with performance on the Stanford-Binet for a group of preschoolers. The sample consisted of 44 children ranging in age from 3–11 to 5–4. It was found that the General Cognitive Index scores of the McCarthy Scales correlated well with the Stanford-Binet IQ scores, r^xy = .90. However, 40 of the 44 subjects scored higher on the Stanford-Binet than on the McCarthy Scales.     

The use of the McCarthy scales of children's abilities to assess moderately mentally retarded children

The performance of a sample of moderately mentally retarded children on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was investigated by comparing their obtained mental age (MA) scores with their Stanford-Binet MAs and Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) developmental ages (DAs). All three MA estimates correlated significantly, and there were no significant differences among mean MAs. However, valid MSCA Index scores could not be obtained for these moderately retarded children, using the current normative tables. Therefore, the MSCA cannot be recommended for measuring the intellectual level of retarded children for educational classification purposes.     

The McCarthy scales and Kaufman's McCarthy short form correlations with the comprehensive test of basic skills

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the predictive validity of Kaufman's short form version of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for samples of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Mexican-American children. Comparisons of the observed correlations between the McCarthy General Cognitive Index (GCI) and Kaufman's estimated GCI with academic achievement (as measured by the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills) showed that the conventional McCarthy and Kaufman's short form predicted achievement about equally well. Implication of this finding was discussed in light of supportive evidence for the validity of the Kaufman short form and in the context of screening of culturally diverse children.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy Scales for Children experiencing problems in school

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) were factor analyzed for a group of 6- to 8 1/2-year-old children referred for school-related problems. The sample was composed of 300 rural eastern North Carolina public school children with a mean GCI of 88.1. Evidence was found for factors similar to three of the six MSCA Scales: General Cognitive, Verbal, and Motor. Coefficients of congruence were computed and compared with earlier analyses of the standardization data. The results were interpreted as generally supporting the MSCA's validity with children experiencing problems in school. Implications for interpretation of the MSCA Scales were presented.     

How reliable are MSCA profile interpretations?

This study evaluates the reliability of profile analysis for assessing differential abilities on the McCarthy Scales for Children's Abilities (MSCA). Subjects were enrolled in private schools and ranged in age from 5–5 to 6–5. The test-retest interval ranged from 3 to 6 weeks, with a mean interval of 24 days. Results indicated 70.9% of the sample showed profile variability not reasonably accounted for as real fluctuations in measurable abilities. General application of the null hypothesis procedure for calculating statistical significance of scaled score differences as a basis for interpretive judgments is discussed.