A comparison of the factor structure of the WISC-R for blacks and whites

Scaled scores of the 10 mandatory WISC-R subtests were factor analyzed for separate groups of black (N = 430) and white (N = 274) public school students. Two-, three- and four-factor solutions were examined using the iterated principal factor method. The factorial solutions were compared using coefficients of congruence, and each solution was compared to the standardization sample. Coefficients of congruence between the black and white first factor were .96, second factor .99, and third factor .74. Congruency between Kaufman's results and each racial group was also quite high, suggesting that the WISC-R measures the same theoretical abilities.     

A longitudinal study of the Stanford-Binet and WISC-R with special education students

A group of 95 black and 52 white low socioeconimic children assigned to special education calsses were initially given the Stanford-Binet (1972 norms) and three years later the WISC-R. Correlations between the Stanford-Binet and WISC-R Full Scale IQs were significant in both ethnic groups, with r=.60 for the total group. Correlations between the Stanford-Binet and WISC-R subtests also were generally signiificant (rs between .29 and .52 for the total group). Stanford-Binet and WISC-R Full Scale IQs did not differ significantly. For this sample of special education children, the Stanford-Binet was found to have satisfactory predictive validity.     

The Inheritability of Identity: Children's Understanding of the Cultural Biology of Race

4 experiments explored adult and grade school children's beliefs about inheritability of identity, particularly the "one-drop rule" that defines children of mixed-race parents as belonging to the racial category of the minority parent. In Study 1, 8- and 12-year-olds ( N = 32) and adults ( N = 43) were asked the category membership of mixed-race children and the degree to which they resembled each parent. Study 2 investigated whether the same-aged children ( N = 36) and adults ( N = 18) expected mixed-race children to have white, black, or intermediate features. Study 3 explored children's ( N = 46) expectations about the inheritability of the same properties in animals. Older children, like adults, were found to believe that mixed-race children have black racial features. Adults additionally believe that such children inherit the categorical identity of the minority parent. Study 4 repeated the same tasks with black and white children ( N = 39) attending an integrated school. Unlike children attending a predominantly white school, children in the integrated school (regardless of race) expect mixed-race children to have intermediate racial features.     

Validity of selected preschool screening tests

Data from 188 white and 97 black children supported the following conclusions: (a) A general cognitive factor prevailed throughout a group of tests including the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test administered at age 3 years, the Preschool Inventory, the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (modified), and the Graham-Ernhart Copy-Forms Test administered at age 4 years; (b) Correlations of three scales of the Preschool Attainment Records and the Verbal Language Development Scale with the other measures were less consistent; (c) the correlations of the Quick Test with other tests were satisfactory for white children but inconsistent for a subsample (N = 18) of black children; (d) the standard deviations of the Quick Test IQs were excessively large; and (e) differential scoring of Preschool Inventory subtests was not supported.     

Performance of black and white children on the bracken basic concept scale

One hundred fourteen matched pairs of black and white children were compared in their performance on the Bracken Basic Concept Scale. It was found that the white children attained scores that were nearly identical with the national average, but the black children performed approximately one-half standard deviation below their white counterparts. The black and white children exhibited similar patterns of performance on the BBCS subtests, suggesting a similar cognitive approach to the tasks.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy screening test

The factor structure of the McCarthy Screening Test was investigated with a sample of 555 children. The sample consisted of 300 boys and 255 girls, whose mean age was 61.4 months; approximately 80% were white and 20% were black. The data from the present study and from the MST standardization samples were analyzed by a principal components analysis (with ones in the diagonal) followed by a varimax rotation. The results from the data analysis seem to indicate that the subtests all measure parts of the same attribute (cognitive and sensorimotor functions) in varying degrees.     

A Comparative Study of Selected Black and White University Sophomore Students on a Required Reading Test

Abstract

A total of 256 black and 3009 white sophomore students in the four large Georgia universities were studied with regard to their reading test scores obtained during the 1982-83 Georgia Regents' Testing Program. Classification analyses showed that white students scored significantly higher on the reading subtests as well as apposite aptitude/achievement variables. The overlap of black and white student score distributions was consistent, though insignificant, on the aptitude/achievement variables as well as the reading subtests. The extant overlap, however, was significantly greater for black students on the reading subtests than with the aptitude/achievement variables, and these results were similar to those obtained with white students. Further, with the reading subtests, approximately 41% of the black students were misclassified as white students, while only 26% of the white students were misclassified as black students, and this difference in overlap was statistically significant. The study was regarded, to a limited extent, as a cohort extension of the NAEP studies and the results were compared to those findings.     

Sensitivity of Four Subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) to Stimulant Medication in Children with ADHD

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined on four subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) when on and off stimulant medication. Performance was assessed relative to 18 individually age‐matched controls. Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on TEA‐Ch measures when off compared to when on stimulant medication. This was found in both predominantly inattentive (n = 6) and combined inattentive and hyperactive‐impulsive (n = 12) subtypes. The age‐matched controls significantly improved with repeated testing on most TEA‐Ch measures. Significant differences were found between the unmedicated children with ADHD and age‐matched controls on sustained attention (Score! and Walk Don’t Walk) and attention control measures (Same and Opposite Worlds). When the ADHD group was on stimulant medication, with the exception of the Walk Don’t Walk subtest, no significant differences were found between them and the age‐matched controls. Unlike the TEA‐Ch subtests, the significant differences between the two groups on the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) subtests remained when attentional status was altered in the children with ADHD. The study supports further investigations of the TEA‐Ch as a measure sensitive to changes in stimulant medication in children with ADHD.     

Correlations between WISC-R subtests and verbal,performance, and full scale IQ scores for minority group children

The relationship between WISC-R subtest scores and Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs was investigated for a sample comprised of rural Appalachian children. The sample was comprised of both white and black children who might be described as culturally different by virtue of low family income and residence in the mountainous areas of Virginia and North Carolina. Data analysis consisted of computing product-moment correlations (rs) between each of the ten subtests and the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs. Correlations between individual subtests and the FS IQ ranged from.49 through.63, but none of the differences between these rs were large enough to attain significance. Correlations between the verbal subtests and Verbal IQ ranged from.64 for Comprehension up to.78 for Vocabulary. For the performance subtest, the rs ranged from.54 between Coding and the Performance IQ up to.72 for Object Assembly.     

An investigation of WISC-R verbal-performance differences as a function of ethnic status

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was administered to 187 black, 184 Hispanic, and 184 white children aged 6–11. The Verbal-Performance (V-P) IQ discrepancies were determined for the total group and for each ethnic group. The overall mean of 10.74 was similar to the V-P discrepancy found in the WISC-R standardization sample. The Hispanic group had a significantly greater V-P split than did the black group or the white group. Implications of these results were discussed, focusing on the various cautions of using V-P discrepancies for diagnostic decision making.     

Concurrent validity of the test of nonverbal intelligence with learning disabled children

Results of the TONI, WISC-R, and WRAT were compared for a sample of 66 learning disabled children: 51 males (32 white, 19 black) and 15 females (9 white, 6 black) whose mean age was 9–5 (SD = 1–10). The mean score of the TONI was significantly different from the Performance IQ. Nonsignificant differences were found between the TONI and Full Scale IQ and between the TONI and Verbal IQ. Correlation coefficients between the TONI and WISC-R ranged from a low of .35 for the Verbal IQ to .44 for both the Full Scale and Performance IQs. The correlation coefficients between the TONI and standard scores of the WRAT were .38, .27, and .23, for Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic, respectively. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Income Level, Gender, Ethnicity, and Household Composition as Predictors of Children''s School-based Competence

In the United States, being black, male, or growing up in a low-income and/or single-parent household have all been identified as risk factors for maladjustment during childhood. Interpretation of these findings is, however, often difficult because of the well-known associations among these variables. In the present study, we compared predictions of 3 different forms of children's competence from each of these 4 variables. In a sample of 868 black and white elementary school children from 2-parent and mother-headed 1-parent homes, we studied 3 aspects of school-based competence: conduct, peer relations, and academic achievement. Results showed that although the independent variables accounted for different amounts of variance in each domain of competence, income level and gender were better overall predictors of children's competence in conduct and peer relations than were ethnicity or household composition. Income level and ethnicity were better overall predictors of academic achievement than were gender or household composition, although each of the 4 variables made a significant contribution. Overall, income level and gender were thus the strongest predictors of children's competence. Black children were, however, more likely than white children to live in low-income homes. Our results thus highlighted some correlates of the unequal distribution of economic resources among black and white children growing up in the United States today.     

A comparison of factor structures of the WISC and WISC-R

The present study compared two- and three-factor solutions for the 12 subtests of both the WISC and WISC-R for a sample of 164 black, white, and Latino children aged 7 to 15 referred to school psychologists because of concerns about their intellectual ability. The results indicated that the factor structures of the WISC and WISC-R for the same group of subjects are quite similar. They are almost identical in the factors of verbal comprehension and perceptual organization. However, a difference was noted in the third factor of freedom from distractibility.     

Sociodemographic and Environmental Correlates of Racial Socialization by Black Parents

The present study focused on the content and practice of racial socialization by black parents. Sociodemographic correlates of patterns of racial socialization were examined using data from a national probability sample of 2,107 respondents (National Study of Black Americans). Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, age, marital status, region, and racial composition of neighborhood predicted whether or not black parents imparted racial socialization messages to their children. Black parents envision racial socialization as involving several components, including messages regarding their experience as minority group members, themes emphasizing individual character and goals, and information related to black cultural heritage. The findings highlighted the critical importance of sociodemographic and environmental influences on the socialization process. Implications for future research on racial socialization are discussed.     

Effects of race of examiner and type of reinforcement on the intelligence test performance of lower-class black children

This study examined the effects of race of examiner and type of reinforcement upon the WISC-R performance of lower-class black children. A total of 120 black males were selected and assigned to either a white or black examiner to form two groups. Within each group, children were given no reinforcement, tangible reinforcement, traditional social reinforcement, or culturally relevant social reinforcement after each correct response. Children given tangible rewards, regardless of race of examiner, obtained significantly higher scores than did children given no reinforcement or children given traditional social reinforcement. Also, children given culturally relevant social reinforcement by a black examiner obtained significantly higher scores than did children given culturally relevant reinforcement by the white examiner.     

The relationship between race of examiner,cultural mistrust,and the intelligence test performance of black children

The effects of race of examiner and level of mistrust of whites on the Stanford-Binet performance of black elementary school children were examined. Groups with high and low levels of mistrust of whites were first identified. Half of the participants in each group were than administered the Binet by a white examiner; the remaining were tested by a black examiner. The black examiner-high mistrust group scored significantly higher than did the white examiner-high mistrust group. In addition, the black examiner-high mistrust group scored significantly higher than did the black examiner-low mistrust group.     

Relationships between age and raw score increases on the Kaufman-assessment battery for children

Raw scores on the 16 K-ABC subtests and the total raw scores on the sequential and simultaneous processing scales and the achievement scale were correlated with age in months for two separate samples, each subdivided by race and sex: the K-ABC standardization sample (N = 2000) and an additional group of blacks and whites tested during the development of the K-ABC sociocultural norms (N = 615). Within each sample, the highest and lowest correlations from all race/sex groups were contrasted across all K-ABC subtests and scales. All correlations between age and raw scores were statistically significant (p ⩽ .05). No significant differences occurred in the magnitude of these relationships as a function of race/sex grouping, supporting the construct validity of the K-ABC as a developmental measure of children's aptitude and achievement for blacks, whites, Hispanics, males, and females.     

The education exodus: The flight from township schools

Abstract

The dismantling of apartheid education was applauded when South African schools opened up their doors to learners from different racial backgrounds. There were hopes that the quality of education would improve, since the markets were now going to exercise their power as choosers. There was also the belief that, with apartheid outlawed, all schools would be able to match world standards. Furthermore, the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996) gives more powers to parents to have a say in the education of their children. However, what has been happening since the early 1990s is that the increasing number of black parents is avoiding the historically black schools by enrolling their children in historically white schools. As a result of this, many educators contend that the quality of education offered in historically black schools is deteriorating. This article focuses on the effects of the movement away from historically black schools, the reasons why some parents still send their children to historically black schools despite the quality problem, the benefits of moving away from historically black schools, and the impact of different schools on the future of the learners themselves.     

The effect of colour of tester on performance on a group reading test

A study of the relationship between colour of tester and performance on a group reading test was carried out using, as testers, two student teachers of similar experience and appearance apart from colour of skin and, as subjects, 24 children of families of West Indian origin and 24 indigenous children matched for school, sex and age (8-9 yrs). Parallel forms of the Young Group Reading Test (Young, 1969) were administered on alternative occasions by the black tester and the white tester. Differences between the mean group scores were not statistically significant. Correlations between performance on test and re-test by ethnic group, sex, school, colour of tester for first test and form of test for first test were statistically significant, and at or beyond the .05 level. Evidence of ethnic-group effect was not apparent. Attempts to reduce stress e.g. the use of group tests, may have inhibited the expression of ethnic-group effect, if indeed it existed.     

PERFORMANCE ON THE RAVEN PROGRESSIVE MATRICES AS A FUNCTION OF AGE,EDUCATION, AND SEX

The Raven Progressive Matrices (RPM) were administered to 408 individuals in 100 family groups. Subjects’ ages ranged from 8 to 60. Scores on all five subtests were highest in the 18‐26 age group, decreasing with age. Males scored higher on each subtest in each age group. Performance on the RPM increased with additional years of education. Within each educational level, performance declined with age. Although decline with age appears to be invariant with education, changes in schools and educational methods may be factors operating in addition to aging.