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.     

Discrepancies between IQ and index scores for a clinical sample of students: Useful diagnostic indicators?

Discrepancies between IQ and Index scores on the WISC-111 were investigated for a sample of students with SLD (n = 202), with MR (n = 115), and evaluated but not classified (n=159). Mean Verbal and Performance IQ discrepancies, though significantly different for each sample, were smaller than those reported in the WISC-III manual for the normative sample. Similarly, the Index score comparisons indicated differential functioning for the three samples, with the exception of the Verbal Comprehension and Freedom from Distractibility Index discrepancy. Moreover, the Performance IQ was higher than the Verbal IQ for all three samples. Consistent with the WISC-R literature, discrepancies between Verbal and Performance IQs and higher Performance than Verbal IQs are not diagnostic indicators of abnormalities.     

Comparison of the PPVT-R and WISC-R with urban educable mentally retarded students

Comparisons of the revised PPVT (PPVT-R) and the WISC-R were made with 67 EMR students. Significant differences were found between the PPVT-R mean standard scores and Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs. The PPVT-R did not correlate significantly with the WISC-R scales or subtests, suggesting the tests are measuring different abilities.     

The effect of familiarity with the examiner on WISC-r verbal,performance, and full scale scores

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was administered to 72 elementary school children (36 first graders and 36 fifth graders). Three methods of pretest rapport establishment were compared for each of two age groups. Treatment Group 1 received less than 5 minutes of pretest rapport establishment immediately preceding testing. Treatment Group 2 received 15 minutes of rapport establishment immediately preceding testing. Treatment Group 3 received 5 minutes of rapport establishment on two of the five school days prior to testing and 5 minutes immediately preceding testing. It was found that time spent in establishment of familiarity with the examiner as determined by the three treatment conditions had no significant effect on WISC-R Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale scores for this sample. Also, no significant difference was found between 6-year-old and 10-year-old students under the various treatment conditions. Finally, no significant differences on WISC-R Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale scores were found as a result of the interaction of age and familiarity conditions.     

Screening for giftedness with the Slosson and the scale for rating behavioral characteristics of superior students

Children who had been nominated as potential candidates for gifted programs were assessed to determine the relationships among certain behavioral and intellectual characteristics. Records were compiled listing 132 first- through eighth-grade children's race, sex, age, grade level, Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) IQ scores, Scale for Rating Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS) scores, and WISC-R IQs. Only children achieving SIT IQs of 130 or higher were included. A regression equation for the prediction of a WISC-R Full Scale IQ score from a given SIT score was computed and compared to that developed for predicting the WISC-R IQ in another study. All variables except SIT IQ were poor predictors of WISC-R IQ scores. A moderate correlation was computed between SIT and WISC-R Verbal and Full Scale IQ scores. A somewhat lower, but still significant, degree of relationship was found between SIT and WISC-R Performance IQ scores. Some difficulties with using the SIT as a screen for gifted programs are discussed.     

A comparison of WISC and WISC-R results of urban educable mentally retarded students

Twenty urban EMR students' WISC-R scores were compared with their previously administered WISC scores. The average interval between administrations was approximately three years. Significant coefficients of correlation were obtained between five corresponding subtests and between Performance IQs and Full Scale IQs. Results from t tests for correlated data indicated that mean WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores were not significantly lower than their corresponding WISC scores. The results of this study indicated that WISC-R scores in comparison to WISC scores appeared to be more stable in the lower IQ ranges and less vulnerable to cultural bias.     

Relationship between WISC-R and WRAT in children referred for learning difficulties

Correlations between the WISC-R Full, Verbal, Performance, and Freedom from Distractibility Scale IQs, WISC-R subtest scaled scores, and Wide Range Achievement Test Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores were computed for a sample of 114 children (64 boys, 50 girls), aged 6 to 16 years, who were referred for psychological evaluation because of academic or learning difficulties. The Full Scale IQ, Verbal Scale IQ, and Freedom from Distractibility IQ correlated moderately with the three achievement area standard scores (rs of .48 to .59). However, the Performance Scale IQ correlated minimally with reading and spelling scores (rs of .26 and .27), but moderately with arithmetic scores (r = .40). The results support the concurrent validity of the WISC-R.     

Validation of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth edition with exceptional black male students

Standard Age Scores on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SBIV) and WISC-R IQs of 51 urban black males receiving special education services were compared. Correlations between the SBIV Composite scores and WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were 0.803, 0.826, and 0.87 respectively. Correlations between all combinations of scales ranged from 0.612 to 0.888, median r=.723. SBIV Composite mean scores did not differ significantly from the mean WISC-R Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs. Regression analysis of the three subgroups (BD. LD, and EMR) indicated that the SBIV possesses differential validity for each group. Tabular comparison of precision of classification between the SBIV and the WISC-R yielded a 78% agreement. These data suggest that the SBIV possesses utility for assessing the intelligence of black students classified as BD and EMR. However, the use of the scale with LD students is unsupported.     

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.     

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.     

A longitudinal comparison of the WISC and WISC-R with special education pupils

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of comparability between the WISC and the WISC-R over time. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 276 mildly mentally handicapped children enrolled in special education classes who had received a WISC (Trial 1) and a WISC or WISC-R (Trial 2) after an interval of approximately three years. The sample was grouped on the basis of test administered in Trial 2. Group I contained those children who received the WISC on Trial 2 and included 183 children, of whom 121 were males and 62 were females. Mean age at time of initial testing was 8–10; mean age at second testing was 11–8. Group II was composed of 93 children who had been posttested on the WISC-R and included 72 males and 21 females. Mean age at initial testing was 9–5; mean age at posttest was 13–0. The study was conducted in five school districts and one county department of education. Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ for both instruments administered were transcribed from the special education folders of the children. The design used to test hypotheses was repeated measures analysis of variance. Data analysis resulted in rejection of the hypotheses that the WISC-R yields mean Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores greater than or equal to the corresponding mean IQ scores of the WISC. It was concluded that the WISC-R may unfairly penalize special education children who are reevaluated with this instrument. Fluctuations in IQ scores due to the instrument of measurement must be recognized, and appropriate action should be taken to insure that children are evaluated for special class placement on comparable bases.     

Comparison of bilingual children on the WISC-R and the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler Para Ninos

A comparison was made of bilingual Puerto Rican students' scores on the WISC-R and the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler Para Ninos to see whether there were any differences in scores based on the language in which they were tested. These children were determined to be equally proficient in English and Spanish, based on scores from the Dailey Language Facility Test. There were no significant differences between the Full Scale and the Verbal Scale scores on both tests, but significant differences were found between the Verbal and Performance Scale scores on both tests. Caution in testing bilingual children before determination of bilinguality, as well as further research into development of intelligence tests for individual culture groups, is recommended.     

Accounting for Native/non‐Native differences in IQ scores

Verbal and Performance WISC‐R subscale scores were collected from 691 Native and 234 non‐Native children in Grades 2 and 4. Samples were drawn from each of four sites in North America: Northern Woodlands, Plains, Northwest coast, and Southwest Desert. Native children had substantially lower IQ scores than non‐Native, the difference especially pronounced for the Verbal subscale. Biopsychosocial variables including maternal and child health, socioeconomic status, parental attitudes toward school and toward cultural separation, and children's English‐language skills accounted for 67% of the Native/non‐Native difference on the Performance subscale and 57% of the Verbal subscale score difference. Implications for understanding Native/non‐Native IQ score differences and for interventions to promote Native children's academic success are discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The role of sex differences in the referral process as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) are two tests that are often used in the assessment process for special education referrals. Sex differences apparent in these tests were examined in a sample of Arkansas school children who were first-time referrals for a psychological evaluation. The subjects' PPVT-R standard scores, WISC-R IQ scores, and WISC-R subtest scores were divided into groups according to one-year intervals from ages 6 through 16. A separate 2 × 11 (subjects' sex x subjects' age) analysis of variance was performed for each dependent variable. Results indicated significant sex differences among WISC-R Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs and PPVT-R standard scores (p < .01). Several WISC-R subtests also revealed significant sex differences. Further significant sex differences were indicated at several age groups on each dependent variable, with males consistently scoring higher than females on 87%. of the dependent measures excluding the WISC-R subtest Coding, on which females scored higher. Implications concerning the referral process are discussed.     

Stability of WISC-R intelligence scores: Implications for 3-year reevaluations of learning disabled students

Student records of 170 learning disabled students from two area agencies were examined to determine the stability of WISC-R test scores administered as part of the 3-year reevaluation of students required by Public Law 94–142. The WISC-R had been readministered to 150 of these students. Stability coefficients were .72, .70, and .74 for the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. Changes in Full Scale scores were 4 points or less for 52% of the sample. Changes greater than 15 points were noted for 4% of the sample. Results suggest that WISC-R scores are reasonably stable over a 3-year interval, and routine readministration of the WISC-R should not be required or encouraged.     

Subtest scatter and Kaufman regroupings on the WISC-R in non-learning-disabled and learning-disabled children

The present study was undertaken to examine scatter analysis and Kaufman regroupings of WISC-R scores. Thirty-one non-learning-disabled children (NLD) and 29 learning-disabled children (LD) determined by individual IQ and achievement scores served as subjects. Scatter indices were computed within the Verbal and Performance subtests as well as between the Verbal and Performance IQ scales. Also, the regrouping categories proposed by Kaufman (1979) were examined. A significant difference in Verbal and Performance IQs was found between the LD and NLD group. Significantly more students in the LD group exhibited the Kaufman regrouping pattern than in the NLD group (p < .01). These results suggest that Kaufman regroupings and Verbal-Performance scatter analysis may be used to assist in diagnosing LD children.     

Comparability of the WISC and the WISC-R in normal children of divergent socioeconomic backgrounds

WISC and WISC-R IQs of two groups of normal ten-year-old children from divergent socioeconomic backgrounds (N = 36) were compared in a counterbalanced research design. Generally, all WISC mean IQs were higher than the WISC-R mean IQs for both groups of children. Significantly higher WISC IQs were obtained on the Verbal and Full Scales of the low socioeconomic group and on the Performance and Full Scales of the high socioeconomic group. Correlations between tests for Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were.95,.79, and.91 for the low socioeconomic group, and.84,.57, and.87 for the high socioeconomic group. Although practice effects did not appear to significantly affect IQs of the low socioeconomic group, various practice effects were observed in the high socioeconomic group. Negative effects were observed for both WISC and WISC-R on the Verbal Scale, whereas positive effects were observed on both Performance and Full Scales in this group. Analysis of simple effects reveals that WISC and WISC-R IQs did not differ significantly upon first administration, but were significantly different upon second administration. Conclusions were drawn that while WISC-R yields a lower IQ estimate than WISC for children of lower ability, results were not so clear for the children of higher ability, due to practice effects which disproportionately favor increases on WISC IQs upon second administration. The greater practice effects found on the WISC have implications for comparisons of the two tests in counterbalanced research designs. Simple randomized or treatment-by-levels design may be more useful in comparisons of the WISC and the WISC-R because of the bias introduced by counterbalanced designs.     

A comparison of three screening tests and the WISC-R in special education evaluations

Eighty public school children referred for psychological assessment for potential special education placement were given the Slosson Intelligence Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised. Correlational and regression techniques were used to determine the effectiveness of the three former measures in predicting WISC-R IQ scores. SIT IQs were found to be the best predictors of WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs; however, these statistical relationships reveal little about the clinical utility of the screening measures. Problems with use of the current findings and those of other studies are discussed.     

Stability of WISC-R scores in children with learning difficulties

Student records of 130 children with learning difficulties who had been tested twice were examined to determine the stability of WISC-R scores over time. There were significant losses in Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ. Subjects in the above-average IQ range had greater losses in Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ and greater gains in Performance IQ than did those in the below-average IQ range. Children initially tested before age 8 had a significant IQ loss, but those tested after age 8 maintained a constant IQ. The WISC-R is most frequently administered to children with learning difficulties. Results presented here suggest that the IQs in this population are not as stable as was previously thought, and this may provide a rationale for the periodic readministration of the WISC-R.     

Similarity of WISC-R and WAIS-R scores at age 16

Thirty learning disabled students of average intellectual ability between 16 and 17 years of age were given both the WISC-R and the WAIS-R to determine if the WAIS-R provided higher average IQ scores, as had been reported for educationally mentally retarded adolescents. The results indicated: (a) no significant differences between the two scales on either the Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale IQs, (b) significant correlations between the WISC-R and WAIS-R on the three IQ scores and 9 of the 11 subtests, and (c) the emergence of the ACID profile for learning disabled adolescents on both tests.