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.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy Scales in 7-year-old Spanish children

This study was designed to examine the construct validity of the McCarthy Scales for 7-year-old Spanish children, using factorial analysis. Based on a sample of 128 children with a mean General Cognitive Index of 104 (SD = 15.37), five factors were generated by principal component analysis, and one factor by principal factor analysis. An analysis of congruence between the factorial matrices of 7- and 4-year old children was performed. The degree of similarity of factors between sample was determined by means of a technique of factorial invariance using Tucker's coefficient of congruence. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

K-ABC and McCarthy scale performance among “at-risk” and normal preschoolers

This study assessed the degree of comparability between the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (McCarthy) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 51 “at-risk” (Low Birthweight, Head Start, and Developmentally Delayed) and 33 “normal” preschool children. The K-ABC Mental Processing Composite (MPC) and McCarthy General Cognitive Index (GCI) correlated significantly for both groups, but was significantly greater for the at-risk preschoolers. The at-risk group achieved a significantly higher mean MPC than GCI, while the normal comparison subjects achieved a slightly lower mean MPC. As reflected in previous studies, the GCI seems to provide an accurate estimate of the at-risk child's typical classroom performance. While the MPC may afford an estimate of such children's capacity for academic growth, if provided appropriately tailored remediation, it may also be missing critical aspects of children's cognitive functioning. Mean score discrepancies for at-risk preschoolers were discussed in relation to the theoretical and psychometric properties of the K-ABC and McCarthy.     

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.     

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.     

Black-white IQ discrepancies may be related to differences in hemisphericity

WPPSI and McCarthy Scales subtests were ranked by members of the National Academy of Neuropsychology according to relative reliance on left-cerebral-hemisphere function. Pairs of blacks and whites matched for a variety of demographic variables were administered the WPPSI (132 pairs) and the McCarthy Scales (148 pairs). Difference scores were calculated, in standard score units, for each WPPSI and McCarthy subtest. A pattern of positive correlation occurred between the size of black-white differences and the judged degree of left-hemisphere involvement in the task, suggesting that black-white IQ discrepancies may be partially explained by differences in hemisphericity.     

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.     

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).     

Stability of the McCarthy scales of children's abilities over a one-year period for Mexican-American children

The focus of the present study was to examine the stability of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities for a sample of 42 English-speaking and 42 Spanish-speaking Mexican-American preschoolers of low SES background. The subjects were retested after a period of one year, and a test-retest stability coefficient of .88 was observed for the General Cognitive Index for the English-speaking children and .77 for the Spanish-speaking children. It was concluded that the results of the present study provide some preliminary evidence that the McCarthy is a relatively stable instrument for English-speaking Mexican-American children.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Construct validity of the adjustment scales for children and adolescents and the preschool and kindergarten behavior scales: Convergent and divergent evidence

Construct validity (convergent and divergent) of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA; McDermott, Marston, & Stott, 1993) and the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS; Merrell, 1994a) is presented. Regular classroom teachers (n = 38) randomly selected 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children (N = 123) and rated them on the ASCA and PKBS in counterbalanced order. Convergent evidence of construct validity was observed for the PKBS Externalizing Problems scale and the ASCA Overactivity syndrome. Divergent evidence of construct validity was provided for the PKBS Externalizing Problems scale and ASCA Underactivity syndrome. Convergent and divergent evidence of construct validity for the PKBS Internalizing Problems scale and ASCA Overactivity and Underactivity syndromes was mixed. Results were identical to those of Canivez and Bordenkircher (2002). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 39: 621–633, 2002.