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.     

Cognitive functioning in learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled secondary level students

A study was conducted to compare on a number of specialized cognitive procedures the performance of high school students designated as learning disabled (LD) with the performance of nonlearning-disabled students experiencing learning difficulties (nonLD). Both groups were then compared with a control group of typical learners. Results indicate that when taken as a group LD and nonLD students differed significantly from a control group of typical learners on 6 of 16 variables. LD students differed from nonLD students with learning difficulties on 5 of 16 variables. The performance of LD and nonLD students with learning difficulties indicates patterns of cognitive functioning that differ from those of typical learners. The possibility of the development of compensatory cognitive styles in LD and nonLD students and their implications are discussed.     

A short-form version of the WISC-R for the learning disabled

This study investigated the best short form version of the WISC-R for learning disabled (LD) students. The WISC-R was administered to 234 LD and 290 children who were referred for psychological evaluation but were found not eligible (NE) for special education services from 45 school districts in Michigan. Stepwise multiple regressions were calculated to ascertain the best tetrads of Full Scale IQ (FS IQ) for the two groups. For the NE sample, Vocabulary, Picture Arrangement, Picture Completion, and Information were the best four indicators of FS IQ, accounting for about 80% of the variance in Full Scale scores. For the LD sample, the best four predictors of FS IQ were Similarities, Block Design, Picture Completion, and Vocabulary, accounting for about 80% of criterion variance. Using the WISC-R standardization data, Sattler identified the Information, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Block Design subtests as one of the best short form versions for predicting FS IQ. For the LD sample of the present study, Sattler's composite yielded a multiple R of .873 with FS IQ, whereas our best four predictors yielded a multiple R of .896. It appears that Sattler's tetrad is about as good a predictor of FS IQ for LD students as that found in the present data.     

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.     

High-School Subjects as Conditioners of College Success

Abstract

This study examines the utility of the Ban- natyne recategorization system in discriminating among three groups of handicapped students. A stepwise discriminant functions analysis was performed on the subtest scaled scores from the WISC-R for 294 learning disabled (LD), 36 educably mentally retarded (EMR), and 71 emotionally disturbed (ED) students. The results of this analysis revealed that 100 percent of the EMR and ED students were predicted to be labeled LD on the basis of this recategorization, while 99.7 percent of the LD students were predicted to be LD. These findings are examined in relation to the use of alternative statistical methods and different diagnostic procedures to identify and classify students.     

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.     

Validity of WISC-R IQS and factor scores in predicting achievement for Mexican-American children

The predictive validity of the WISC-R IQs and factor scores was examined with a sample of 64 Mexican-American children. All the correlations among the WISC-R factor scores and academic achievement as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) were found to be low, ranging from .09 to .31. Significant relationships were observed only between WRAT Reading and Perceptual Organization (PO) factor, WRAT Arithmetic and PO factor, and Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor and WRAT Arithmetic scores. In contrast to this, however, significant relationships were observed between IQ scores and achievement measures, suggesting predictive utility of the WISC-R IQs in predicting achievement for Mexican-American children.     

The WISC-R as a predictor of WRAT performance

This study investigated the efficacy of predicting academic achievement as measured by the WRAT, using the Verbal and Performance scores of the WISC-R as predictors. Both tests were given to 155 children referred for psychological evaluations in a four-county area in southeastern Nebraska, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted where the Verbal and Performance IQ scores were conjointly regressed on Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores from the WRAT. The results indicated that the Performance IQ did not significantly predict academic achievement, and that the Verbal IQ significantly predicted only Reading and Arithmetic scores. Generated regression equations were provided.     

Concurrent and predictive validity of the WISC-R,McCarthy Scales,Woodcock-Johnson,and academic achievement

Twenty-six normal first-grade children (M = 7.0 years) were administered the WISC-R, the McCarthy Scales, and the Woodcock-Johnson Scales of Cognitive Ability. Two years later, their levels of academic achievement were determined by way of the WRAT and global teacher ratings of classroom performance. Pearson intercorrelations among the summary indices of the three intellectual measures were significant and uniformly high (rang. 77-.95). Correlations between first-grade ability scores and third-grade achievement measures also were significant (range .64-.90), suggesting strong predictive validity for each of the cognitive instruments. Though not significantly so, the correlations between the Woodcock-Johnson and achievement tended to be the highest. The results indicate that all three intellectual measures are appropriate for predicting later academic achievement in young school-aged children.     

Correlation of the PPVT and WISC-R: A function of diagnostic category

PPVT and WISC-R scores were compared for 259 students ranging in age from 6 to 16. In descending order, Pearson product correlations ranked best for the total sample, emotionally disabled, regular class, mentally retarded, and learning disabled. In all groups, the PPVT overestimated ability and was significantly different from the WISC-R scores as measured by correlated t-tests.     

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.     

Cognitive functioning as measured by the WISC-R: do children with learning disabilities have distinctive patterns of performance?

Patterns of performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) have been proposed as useful tools for the identification of children with learning disabilities (LD). However, most of the studies of WISC-R patterns in children with LD have been plagued by the lack of a typically achieving comparison group, by failure to measure individual patterns, and by the lack of a precise definition of LD. In an attempt to address these flaws and to assess the presence of patterns of performance on the WISC-R, we examined data from 121 children with typical achievement (TA), 143 children with reading disabilities (RD), and 100 children with a specific arithmetic disability (AD), ages 6 to 16 years. The results indicated that the RD and AD groups had significantly lower scores than the TA group on all the Verbal IQ subtests. Many of the children with AD and RD showed a significant difference between Verbal and Performance IQ scores, but so did many of the typically achieving children. Although there were some children with LD who showed the predicted patterns, typically, 65% or more of the children with LD did not. Furthermore, a proportion of the TA group-generally not significantly smaller than that of the RD and AD groups-showed discrepancy patterns as well. Our results indicate that the patterns of performance on intelligence tests are not reliable enough for the diagnosis of LD in individual children. Therefore, it might be more profitable to base the detection of an individual's LD on patterns of achievement test scores.     

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.     

WISC-R factor scores and student self-ratings of behavior as predictors of academic achievement

The capability of WISC-R Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO), and Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor scores and student self-ratings of behavior from the Behavior Rating Profile Student Rating Scales (BRP-SRS) to predict academic achievement was investigated. Previous research found that intellectual ability accounted for about 50% of the variance in achievement. Other noncognitive variables are expected to account for a portion of the remaining variance and add significantly to the prediction of achievement. Subjects were public school students referred for psychological evaluations due to learning and behavior problems in the classroom. The results of a multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that VC and FD factors significantly predicted Woodcock-Johnson Reading, Mathematics, and Written Language cluster scores. The VC and FD factors accounted for a major portion of the variance in achievement. Behavioral self-ratings did not contribute significantly to the prediction of achievement scores.     

An investigation of the ability of selected instruments to discriminate areas of exceptional class designation

Ninety exceptional children—30 emotionally handicapped (EH), 30 learning disabled (LD), and 30 educable mentally retarded (EMR)—attending public, self-contained classrooms in the Southeast were systematically selected from a master list of all exceptional students (1,355) who had been referred for placement within the last 4 years. All available data used in the placement process, i.e., WISC-R profiles, Key Math scores, and teacher rating scale scores, were obtained by a search of the children's permanent records. To determine the relative effectiveness of the assessment devices in contributing to appropriate placement decisions, a MANOVA with subsequent univariate analyses and multiple discriminant function analyses was employed. Results indicated that both the LD and the EH groups differed significantly from the EMR group, and that classification results for all groups were inadequate.     

The relationship between the WISC-R and WRAT-R for a sample of rural referred children

WISC-R Verbal and Performance IQ scores obtained from a sample of 124 referred children were correlated with WRAT-R achievement scores. The Verbal IQ was found to predict Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic. The Performance IQ did not add significantly to the predictions. The results were consistent with earlier studies that examined the relationship of the WISC-R to the WRAT.     

Factor structure of intellectual and achievement measures for learning disabled children

The purpose of this study was to explore the factor structure of intelligence and achievement for learning disabled children. WISC-R, PIAT, and WRAT scores of 183 male, learning disabled students were factor analyzed. A factor structure was obtained. The factors were identified as: (a) language achievement, (b) perceptual organization, (c) verbal educative, and (d) mathematical achievement. These findings suggest that intelligence and achievement are composed of similar traits and skills. Therefore, comparison of individual achievement test scores with traditional Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale intelligence for learning disabled children may not be logical, since analysis of these tests reveals factorially complex skills.     

WISC-R verbal and performance abilities of native american students referred for school learning problems

This study was designed to determine if three diagnostic groups of Navajo children differed on intellectual dimensions as measured by the WISC-R. Subjects had been previously diagnosed by state certified professionals and were identified as nonhan dicapped (NH) (N = 113), educationally disadvantaged.(ED) (N = 189), and learning disabled (LD) (N = 150). NH group means on all WISC-R variables were significantly higher than the LD group means. The ED and the LD group means were similar on the verbal measures, but the LD group scores were lower than the ED group scores on performance measures. The NH group demonstrated intellectual abilities and deficits similar to those reported for other primary-grade Navajo children who had not been referred for suspected handicapping conditions.     

The relationship between the Luria-Nebraska neuropsychological battery-children's revision and the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test with learning disabled students

The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision (LNNB-Children's Revision) and The Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test (MPD) were administered to 40 learning disabled (LD) students. Correlations were run between the scales of the LNNB-Children's Revision and MPD scores across the sample. Coefficients ranged from .07 to .71 for the intercorrelations of the scales of the LNNB-Children's Revision. Low correlations (−.10 to −.27) were found between MPD T scores and the LNNB-Children's Revision Scales, but raw scores from the MPD had somewhat higher correlations with the LNNB (.18 to .65).     

Bannatyne patterns of Caucasian and Mexican-American learning disabled children

Investigated the measurement properties and practical utility of Bannatyne's (1974) recategorized WISC-R scores. Reliability coefficients, standard deviations, and standard errors of measurement were calculated for the Spatial, Conceptual, and Sequential recategorized scores. These data were utilized to determine how large a difference between each of these scores was needed by individuals in order to reach statistical significance at the.05 and.25 levels. Analyses of the recategorized scores of Caucasian learning disabled children indicated that, as a group, these students were characterized by the Spatial > Conceptual > Sequential pattern which was predicted by Bannatyne (1974). The same was not found to be true for a group of Mexican-American learning disabled children. When the scores of individual children were analyzed, a large majority of both the Caucasian and Mexican-American groups failed to demonstrate the Spatial > Conceptual > Sequential pattern. Implications for using the Bannatyne pattern as a diagnostic tool with learning disabled children are discussed.