Construct validity of the K-ABC for gifted children

Fifty-four elementary-age gifted students were administered the K-ABC. To determine construct validity of the test for this population, the factor structure was obtained for mental processing and achievement subtests and then compared to the factor structure obtained for children from the standardization sample via a procedure that determines factor structure similiarity between groups. Except for minor variations, the factor structure for the gifted children was very similar to that for nongifted children in the standardization sample. However, the most parsimonious structure accounted for slightly less than 40% of the shared test variance, which leads to questions about the advisability of educational program planning based on obtained scores.     

Characteristics of children referred to school psychologists: A discriminant analysis

This study compared characteristics of 114 elementary school children of average intelligence who had been referred for psychological services with 120 children of average intelligence who had not been referred. Variables included, sex, relative age, race, socioeconomic status, familial stability, achievement test scores, and intraschool factors. At the primary level, significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sex and relative age. Boys were referred 4 times as frequently as girls, and 16 times as many boys within the relatively youngest group were referred as girls within the oldest group. The total groups were successfully discriminated using math achievement, sex, race, and father of the same name in the household. The variables that best discriminated the primary level groups included sex, relative age, father with the same name in the household, and having attended the same school the previous year. Implications and possible preventative measures are discussed.     

Concurrent validity of the PPVT-R with the K-ABC for learning problem children

This study examined the concurrent validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) with 47 students referred for learning difficulties. A comparison of the correlations of each of the criterion measures from the K-ABC global scales showed a more substantial relationship between the PPVT-R standard score and the K-ABC Achievement scale than with other K-ABC scales. In an effort to further examine the relationship between the PPVT-R and the K-ABC, a stepwise multiple regression was calculated, with the standard scores of the K-ABC global scales serving as the predictor variables of the PPVT-R. This analysis indicated that the K-ABC Achievement global scale was the only significant predictor of the PPVT-R. Implications for practitioners were discussed.     

Characteristics of children referred for evaluation of school difficulties who have adequate academic achievement scores

Forty children (7 to 11 years old) referred for evaluation of learning problems, who had scores within the normal range on standardized measures of academic achievement, were compared to 81 similarly referred children who had scored low (< 90) on at least one measure of academic achievement. We tested the hypothesis that children with normal achievement scores who are referred for evaluation of learning problems show neuropsychological profiles comparable to those of children with low achievement. Referral problems, school history, IQ, academic achievement, and neuropsychological function were evaluated. Referred children with normal achievement scores came from more advantaged backgrounds and had less intensive academic interventions, higher IQs, and better decoding skills. Nonetheless, the two groups showed similar neuropsychological profiles. Vulnerability to complexity and decreased automaticity were prominent. Normal-range achievement test scores among children referred for evaluation should not be regarded as indicating absence of neurodevelopmental vulnerability.     

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.     

A comparative study of the self-esteem,sociometric status,and insight of referred and nonreferred school children

Elementary-grade children referred to a school-based mental health program were compared with randomly selected classmates on measures of self-esteem, sociometric status, and insight. Interrelationships among criterion measures also were examined. Referred children had significantly lower self-esteem, peer acceptance, and insight than did the comparison group, even though these variables were modestly intercorrelated. Thus, the study lends support to the trend in prior research associating deficits in such variables with school maladjustment.     

Normative achievement assessment of gifted children: Comparing the K-ABC,WRAT, and CAT

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) purports to assess fluid and crystallized intelligence via processing and achievement subtests, respectively. Eight K-ABC Mental Processing and five K-ABC Achievement subtests were administered to 41 gifted students. Scores were subsequently compared to concurrent achievement measures from the California Achievement Test (CAT), as well as previously obtained mental ability measures (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised [WISC-R], Stanford-Binet [SB], and Wide Range Achievement Test [WRAT] achievement scores). In general, K-ABC mental ability scores were lower than WISC-R and SB IQs. K-ABC achievement scores were consistent with K-ABC mental ability scores, but more highly related to SB and WISC-R VIQ (r = .42 and .40, respectively) than to WISC-R FSIQ (r = .16) and PIQ (r = .09), or to the K-ABC Mental Processing (Composite r = .17), Simultaneous Processing (r = .08), and Sequential Processing scores (r = .20). With the exception of WRAT Word Recognition, WRAT, K-ABC, and CAT achievement scores were similar. The patterns of intercorrelations suggest that the K-ABC achievement scores are more verbally loaded than are the CAT and WRAT achievement measures.     

Factor structure of psychoeducational and neuropsychological measures of learning-disabled children

This study investigated the factor structure of psychoeducational and neuropsychological measures used in the assessment of learning-disabled children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Wide Range Achievement Test were administered to 934 males and females between the ages of 8 and 16 years. A principal-components analysis with varimax rotation indicated the existence of seven factors: Verbal Reasoning, Academic Achievement, Visual-Perceptual Organization, Developmental, Visual-Motor Speed, Spatial Memory, and Attention and Concentration. Three factors provided new information about the functioning of learning-disabled children that may need to be considered before comprehensive identification and placement decisions can be offered. Results of this study lend support to the notion of utilizing neuropsychological measures as an adjunct to traditional psychoeducational assessment.     

考夫曼儿童成套评价测验的试用研究

一、引言智力是每个人都注重的话题,却不是每个人说得清楚的问题。很多心理学家对智力的定义一直众说纷纭,没有给出相对确切和完整的答案,只是根据某方面的研究需要,对智力进行某种界定。但是,人们对于智力的研究始终没有停下脚步。早在1905年法国心理学家比纳(Afred Binet)和西蒙(TheodoreSimon)合作编制了世界上第一个智力测验——比纳—西蒙量表(Binet-Simon Scale),从此心理学家们用智力测验作为衡量智力的尺度,测量和研究智力的工具,开始了探索人类智力的征程。作为测量智力的工具,各种智力测验测量出来的智力有否差别呢?答案是肯定…     

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.     

Influence of family structure and school variables on behavior disorders of children

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family structure and school variables on behavior disorders of children. The sample consisted of 1,162 white elementary school children. General information was obtained from school records, and ratings on behavior disorders were obtained from teachers. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses of variance. Results indicated that grade in school, sex, social class, ordinal position in the family, and teacher were important variables in the determination of behavior disorders. Whether or not the children were living with both of their natural parents, number of children in the family, if the children were in special education classes, and whether the children were older than usual for their grade in school were less important or were unimportant. The results, especially those that were not expected, were discussed.     

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.     

Use of the WISC-R and K-ABC with learning disabled,borderline mentally retarded,and normal children

The aim of this investigation was to examine normal (N = 34), learning disabled (N = 34), and borderline mentally retarded (N = 33) children's performance on the WISC-R and K-ABC. Results revealed no significant differences between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ and K-ABC Mental Processing Composite by group (F = 0.7, p > .15). The Full Scale IQ and Mental Processing Composite standard score correlated .85 for the entire sample, and all other subscale correlations ranged from .65 to .90 (all significant at p < .001). Analysis of Verbal-Performance, Mental Processing-Achievement, and Simultaneous-Sequential discrepancy means by group revealed no significant differences in comparison to normative values. Subtest patterns analysis revealed high rank order correlations between the learning disabled and mentally retarded groups, but lower correlations between the exceptional and normal groups. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Further investigation of comparability of the WISC-R and PPVT-R for children and youth referred for psychological services

Comparisons of the WISC-R and PPVT-R were made with 37 students (25 boys, 12 girls). Pearson product moments (r) and two-tail f-tests were employed in the data analysis. The sample ranged in age from 6-2 to 14-6, with a mean age of 10-1, and SD=2.6. There were no significant differences between the WISC-R IQs and PPVT-R standard scores. The PPVT-R did not correlate significantly with the WISC-R IQ scales.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy scales

The purpose of the present study was to test the factor structure of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities in preschool children. Seventy-two boys and 69 girls between 4 and 5 years of age were tested. A factor analysis was carried out by means of the principal components method with varimax rotation. The existence of the Verbal factor and of the Perceptual-Performance factor was confirmed. The Quantitative and Memory factors appear undifferentiated. As far as the subtests which make up the Motor scale are concerned, they do not constitute a single factor. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

Processing of rapid auditory stimuli in school-age children referred for evaluation of learning disorders

Tallal hypothesized that reading disabled children have a domain-general deficit in processing rapidly occurring auditory stimuli that degrades speech perception, thereby limiting phonologic awareness and thus reading acquisition. She predicted they would be disproportionately affected by rapidly presented auditory stimuli. In this study, one hundred 7- to 11-year-old children with learning impairment (LI) and 243 non-learning impaired (NLI) children were evaluated on a two-tone auditory discrimination paradigm. LI committed more errors, but effects of timing were comparable. The same result was obtained for a subsample of good and poor readers. Task performance predicted reading, spelling, and calculation. Neural processes underlying perception of speech and other auditory stimuli may be less effective in poor readers; however, contrary to Tallal's hypothesis, rate may not be specifically affected.     

The reliability of The Spatial Memory subtest on the K-ABC

The Spatial Memory subtest appears on the Simultaneous Processing scale of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, and is intended for children from 5-0 through 12-5 years of age. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interscorer reliability of this subtest, due to reported scoring difficulties. Nineteen gifted children between the ages of 8-10 and 12-2 were administered the Spatial Memory subtest, and two independent examiners scored each subject's item responses. Results showed that the Spatial Memory subtest may be prone to scoring errors because there is no permanent record of responses. It is suggested that a permanent record of responses could improve interscorer reliability significantly and simplify the task of scoring this subtest for practcing psychologists.