A comparison between the WISC and WISC-R among educable mentally retarded students

The study compared differences and similarities between WISC and WISC-R scores for 48 ten- and thirteen-year-old EMR students, who were matched according to sex and race. The WISC-R yielded significantly lower VS, PS, and FS IQ scores than the WISC for this predominantly rural Georgia population. The FS IQ scores from the WISC-R averaged 7.5 points lower than the WISC FS IQs, with similar differences noted for VS and PS scores. There was no significant difference in FS IQs between the two age groups. Results suggest that many children classified as “Borderline” or slightly above by the WISC will be classified as “Mentally Deficient” by the WISC-R.     

A comparison of the WISC and WISC-R

So as to compare the results of the WISC and WISC-R, both instruments were administered to 58 children randomly selected from a school population of 583. All administration and scoring was performed by the same psychologist, with a two-month interval separating the administrations for each child. All IQs were significantly higher (p <.01) on the WISC, with the Performance difference being greater than the verbal difference. Also, 8 of the 10 required subtest scaled scores were significantly greater (p <.05) on the older instrument. Regression equations were obtained to predict WISC-R IQs from WISC scores.     

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.     

Matched pair comparison of WISC and WISC-R scores

Both the WISC and the WISC-R were administered to 54 children, with one half taking the WISC first and the other 27 taking the WISC-R first. Differences between mean subtest scaled scores and mean IQs were found to be influenced by the sequence of the tests, although all mean scores were higher on the second test when the WISC-R was given first. Data were presented suggesting the WISC-R given first tends to raise WISC scores, and WISC given first yields scores on the WISC-R which are essentially similar, effectively counsteracting the more “difficult” scoring for the WISC-R.     

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.     

WISC and WISC-R correlates of academic achievement

WISC and WISC-R test results were correlated with achievement test scores and school grades of 36 children who had completed two years of school. Global intelligence estimates from both scales correlated at significant levels with all achievement test measures. Individual subtests from the two scales were unevenly correlated with grades in specific school subjects over both school years. Data suggest that while the two scales may be grossly equivalent as global predictors of school achievement, the individual subtests from the two scales may not correlate equivalently with specific external criteria such as school grades.     

WISC,WISC-R,S-B L&M,WRAT: Relationships and trends among children ages six to ten referred for psychological evaluation

Thirty children ages 6-10 were selected who had been referred for psychological evaluation from the public schools. WISC-R was significantly lower than WISC FS IQs and similar to S-B L&M IQs (1972). Each scale predicts reading, spelling, and achievement in a significant manner. The use of the WISC-R over the WISC will rosult in greater numbers of children being classified as retarded.     

Investigation of the WISC-R for use with retarded children: Correlation with the 1972 Stanford-Binet and comparison of WISC and WISC-R profiles

A group of 80 mentally retarded youngsters, aged 6 to 16, was tested on the WISC-R, primarily to assess the continuity of measurement between the old and new WISCs. The WISC-R IQs correlated .65 to .82 with Stanford-Binet IQ for a subsample of 45 children, resembling the coefficients between the 1949 WISC and the Binet for retarded groups. In addition, the WISC-R test profiles for the 80 children corresponded closely to the WISC test profiles for many retarded samples. Thus, there was evidence to support the continuity of the WISC-R with its predecessor for retarded populations.     

Rorschach variables and their relationship to WISC-R IQ among children referred

Eighty-eight children ages six to seventeen referred for psychological evaluation had been administered the Rorschach test (Exner system) and the WISC-R, among other tests, for diagnostic purposes. The data were analyzed in order to determine relationships between Rorschach variables and WISC-R IQ levels. Significant relationships were found between groups for the variables FM + m and ep, after which prediction formulas were developed for estimates and use of verbal terminology associated with IQ levels.     

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.     

A comparison of WISC-R and WAIS-R IQS in a mentally retarded residential population

Although typically regarded as equivalent instruments, the WISC-R and the WAIS-R yield significantly different Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs for an intellectually subaverage group, with the WAIS-R consistently providing higher scores. Implications of this “built-in” increment for issues of eligibility for educational placements and societal benefits are serious, and careful interpretation of IQs in the context of other relevant data is necessary.     

Correlations between the Woodcock-Johnson and the WISC-R for a behavior disordered population

Correlations between the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities (WJTCA) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were evaluated on a sample of 55 behavior disordered males, 28 of whom were also diagnosed as learning disabled. Concurrent validity for this sample was demonstrated by only a 2.33 point difference between the mean WJTCA Broad Cognitive score and the mean WISC-R Full Scale IQ score. Analysis of Pearson product-moment correlations between each WISC-R subtest and each Woodcock-Johnson cluster score substantiated previous assertions that the WJTCA is unduly weighted with Product-Dominant factors. Construct validity of some of the WJTCA clusters also was questioned. Implications of these results for behavior disordered populations were discussed.     

A longitudinal comparison of the WISC-R and WAIS-R

The degree of comparability between the WISC-R and WAIS-R over time was assessed for two samples of referred adolescents of borderline intelligence intially administered a WISC-R and retested on the WAIS-R after three years. Results indicated that the WAIS-R significantly overestimated the WISC-R IQs by 3 to 5 points. Differences were most marked at the lower ability levels; as IQs aproached average, scores were increasingly comparable.     

A comparison of WISC-R score profiles of students placed in special education and those referred,but not placed

This study investigated the similarity in the pattern of strengths and weakness on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtest scores between those students evaluated and placed in special education programs and those students evaluated but not placed in special programs. Subjects were 585 students in grades 1–6 from three county school systems in eastern Kentucky who were referred for evaluation for possible special education placement. A multiple profile analysis using a MANOVA technique was used to test two hypotheses for each of the two profiles created for both study groups. Comparisons also were made between each group in the rank order of the various scores. The findings revealed that the two groups were similar in the pattern of their relative strengths and weaknesses on the WISC-R. Implications of these findings for teaching strategies for the two groups were discussed.     

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.     

Correlations between the stanford-binet: Fourth edition and the WISC-R with a learning disabled population

The Fourth Edition of the Stanford-Binet and the WISC-R were compared as instruments for assessing the intellectual strengths and weaknesses of students classified as learning disabled in the primary and secondary grades. Results found only a 3.28-point difference (p≥.0001) between the S-B Composite score and the WISC-R Full Scale score. Correlations between the four broad areas of the S-B and the three scales of the WISC-R ranged from .494 (S-B Abstract/Visual Reasoning with WISC-R Verbal) to .920 (S-B Composite with WISC-R Full Scale). All correlations were found to be significant. Implications of the research findings were discussed.     

Suitability of the California Abbreviated WISC for WISC-R subtests with mentally retarded and slow learner children

This study was undertaken to determine the suitability of the California Abbreviated WISC—Form 1 (CAW-1) for use with WISC-R subtests. Subjects were drawn from the files of previously evaluated students from two southern mountain communities. Examination of WISC records within the age and IQ ranges of the CAW-1 (CA 8-0 to 13-6, IQ 50 to 80) indicated that our sample was not significantly different from the CAW-1 noim group (N = 148, r = .85 between CAW-1 & WISC Full Scale IQ). WISC-R recods (N = 178) for the same ranges were examined and were found to be more highly predictive of Full Scale IQs (r = .91, FSIQ = .98 CAWIQ + 2.2). Extensions of the age range from 6-0 to 16-11 and of the IQ range from 40 to 100 were attempted. Final results (N = 284) indicated the CAW-1 could be used with the WISC-R over the full age range and for IQs ⩽ 100 with minor alteration (r = .96, FSIQ = 1.09 CAWIQ - 5.4). The second sample served for cross validation of these results. Using the alteration, results were consistent with original findings (N = 202, r = .93, FSIQ = .98 CAWIQ + 2.2). It was concluded that the CAW-1 was suitable for use with WISC-R subtests with minor alterations.     

The relationship of the WISC-R and WRAT: A study based upon a selected population

So as to compare predicted achievement based upon WISC-R IQs and observed achievement by the WRAT standard scores, both instruments were administered by the same school psychologist to 282 urban students referred for psychological evaluation. The correlations obtained, even on this nonrandom population, were substantial, significant (p < .001), and should be useful to school psychologists in statistically relating intelligence test scores to school achievement.     

A comparison of the WISC-R and the Woodcock-Johnson tests of cognitive ability

This study compares the performance of learning disabled students on the WISC-R and the Tests of Cognitive Abilities from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. This study finds that learning disabled subjects performed more poorly on the Tests of Cognitive Abilities than on the WISC-R. Data relative to a number of possible explanations for these results are reported.     

Recategorized WISC-R score patterns of older and younger referred Tlingit Indian children

This study investigated patterns of Bannatyne's recategorized WISC-R scores of 146 predominantly Tlingit Indian children who were referred for psychoeducational testing. The students were divided into two groups, ages 6 through 10 and 11 through 16, in order to investigate patterns that occurred at each level and to investigate the proportions that exhibited a typically “Indian” pattern: Spatial > Sequential > Conceptual and Acquired Knowledge. As a group, the older children displayed an Indian pattern, but the younger children displayed a different one: Spatial > Conceptual and Sequential > Acquired Knowledge. Both groups, however, displayed a significantly greater proportion of children with an Indian pattern than would be expected by chance. A considerable number of individuals from both groups attained significant differences among scores in the Indian direction.