Testing: Exploring the WISC‐III as a measure of giftedness∗

This study investigated patterns of WISC‐III IQ subtest scores for gifted children. Subtest scatter of WISC‐III scores occurred with greater frequency in a gifted sample than for subjects reported in the test manual's normative sample. Variability from the subtest mean of the gifted was most evident on Similarities, Comprehension, Coding, and Symbol Search. The extent of subtest scatter and its pattern on the WISC‐III was similar to typical patterns of highs and lows found for gifted children on the WISC‐R with one notable exception. There was a marked lack of strength in Block Design, previously seen as a peak subtest for gifted students when assessed with 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.     

Relationship between psychopathology,learning disabilities,or both and WISC‐III subtest scatter in adolescents

The aim of this study was to determine whether subtest scatter might be an indicator of learning disabilities (LDs), psychopathology, or of both, in a sample of normal adolescents. Subjects completed the WISC‐III and the MMPI‐A and then their scores for the WISC‐III subtests, verbal scatter (VScatter), performance scatter (PScatter), full scale scatter (FScatter) scores, perceptual organisation factor (PO), and the SCAD profiles were calculated. The MMPI‐A was scored and the clinical scales were extracted. The hypothesis that subtest scatter is associated with LDs was generally not supported. There was a relationship between subtest scatter and psychological disturbance in adolescent males, however the results for females were less clear. Further, high PScatter in adolescent males was associated with an MMPI‐A codetype 4‐2/2‐4, indicating tendencies toward depressive features, delinquent behavior, and possibly substance abuse, tendencies which are likely to lead to school failure. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Effect of Selected Junior Novels and Selected Adult Novels on Student Attitudes toward the “Ideal” Novel

Abstract

Concurrent validity of the French Pictorial Test of Intelligence (PTI) was Investigated using kindergarten ant second-grade students. At kindergarten and second-grade levels, respectively, correlations with criteria employed were: WISC Full Scale .75, .71; WISC Verbal .64, .66; WISC Performance .66, .69; Lorge Thorndike .51. .42; teachers’ estimation of IQ .85, .46. Generally, the ability of the PT to predict students’ class grades at both grade levels ant reading skills, at the second-grade level, as measured by Stroud Hieronymus Test, was poor.

Intereorrelations between PTI sub-tests were found to be unite high, particularly at second grade, suggesting that discrete functions are not measured. Correlations between PTI and WISC subtest scores suggest that subtests of each test do not measure the same functions even where subtest names are similar.     

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.     

WISC-R: The first five years

Since its introduction five years ago (1974), 113 articles or papers have appeared regarding the WISC-R, including empirical investigations of its nature, as well as its comparability with a variety of other measures of intelligence and achievement, including the WISC. While not all this research has been carefully done, two general conclusions can be derived from the review. First, although the WISC-R involves modification in administration, design, and presentation of items, as well as a complete restandardization, the literature substantially suggests that it remains very similar in nature to its predecessor, the WISC. Investigations of factor analytic structures, standard errors, reliability coefficients, and subtest intercorrelations support the conclusion that individuals perform on the WISC-R largely the same as they do on the WISC. The second conclusion points out (with few exceptions): consistently lower scores were obtained on the WISC-R than on several other measures, including the WISC, the WAIS, the Slosson Intelligence Test, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Stanford Binet, which was revised shortly before the WISC. These lower scores on the WISC-R may be due to a variety of influences, including examiner variance, an artifact of design leading to inflated scores on the WISC, and finally and most obviously, the restandardization of the scale. The amount of literature that has appeared over the five-year period suggests that practitioners and researchers are as interested in learning about the WISC-R as they were about the WISC. Despite this fact and the conclusion that the WISC and WISC-R are substantially similar, the present authors encourage caution in the overgeneralization of findings until additional literature develops.     

Factor structure of the WISC‐V in four standardization age groups: Exploratory and hierarchical factor analyses with the 16 primary and secondary subtests

This study examined the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Fifth Edition (WISC‐V) with four standardization sample age groups (6–8, 9–11, 12–14, 15–16 years) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), multiple factor extraction criteria, and hierarchical EFA not included in the WISC‐V Technical and Interpretation Manual. Factor extraction criteria suggested that one to four factors might be sufficient despite the publisher‐promoted, five‐factor solution. Forced extraction of five factors resulted in only one WISC‐V subtest obtaining a salient pattern coefficient on the fifth factor in all four groups, rendering it inadequate. Evidence did not support the publisher's desire to split Perceptual Reasoning into separate Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning dimensions. Results indicated that most WISC‐V subtests were properly associated with the four theoretically oriented first‐order factors resembling the WISC‐IV, the g factor accounted for large portions of total and common variance, and the four first‐order group factors accounted for small portions of total and common variance. Results were consistent with EFA of the WISC‐V total standardization sample.     

Canonical analysis of the WISC and ITPA: A reanalysis of the Wakefield and Carlson data

Reanalysis of Wakefield and Carlson's data confirmed canonical correlations of.84 and.69, but analysis of redundancies revealed that only 34% of the total WISC subtest variance is redundant with the ITPA and 39% of the ITPA subtest variance is redundant with the WISC. This indicates that there is not the high degree of redundancy between the two instruments that the authors had claimed and, therefore, use of one of the tests should not preclude use of the other one. It also was pointed out that results for a group of subjects may not apply in individual cases.     

Teacher Qualifications and School District Quality

Abstract

The WISC subtest patterns of 87 fourth-grade males were analyzed to determine the relationship between the patterns and reading achievement and social-class. All social-class effects and interactions involving social-class were nonsignificant, Scores on three Verbal Scale subtests (Arithmetic, Similarities, and Digit Span) and one Performance Scale subtest (Picture Completion) were found to be significantly related to reading achievement.     

Differences between WISC‐R and WISC‐III performance scale among children with ADHD

Reviews involving the Wechsler Scales for children suggest that Full Scale IQ scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition, average 5 to 6 points lower than scores on the second edition of the scale [WISC‐R, Wechsler, D. (1974). Zimmerman & Woo‐Sam, 1997], with the differences distributed disproportionately over subtests, i.e., with larger discrepancies found within the Performance Scale (Wechsler, 1991). Changes on the revised subtests of the WISC‐III Performance Scale may place children with ADHD at a disadvantage compared to their performance on analogous WISC‐R subtests. We examined IQ test performance in 122 unmedicated children with ADHD (61 given the WISC‐R, 61 given the WISC‐III), and 46 children from a healthy, comparison group (23 given the WISC‐R, 23 given the WISC‐III). The ADHD and comparison group samples were matched for sex and for Verbal IQ between WISC‐R and WISC‐III. Children with ADHD had significantly lower Performance IQ on WISC‐III compared to the WISC‐R, with the Picture Arrangement subtest showing the most significant difference. In contrast, there were no significant differences between the WISC‐R and WISC‐III cohorts on Performance IQ or any Performance subtests among the comparison group. These findings highlight the importance of examining the comparability of ability test revisions among clinical and non‐clinical populations, and will be especially salient when the WISC‐III is revised. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 331–340, 2003.     

Cognitive abilities and learning disabilities

Summary The greater discrepancy between spatial vs sequential/conceptual WISC subtest results in learning-disabled children is instrumental to the idea that these children might profit relatively more from an imagery based strategy in organizing and recalling noun pairs and triplets than from a verbal strategy. The results from the present studies with concrete nouns show that this is not the case. Another result is that learning-disabled children’s recall performance is also lower when strategy instructed (except in the first experiment) than normal children’s performance. Suggestions as to which strategy aspects could be responsible are given. This paper is based upon a presentation at the 30th Annual Conference of The Orton Society in Indianapolis, November 1979.     

Scatter on the WISC as an indicator of intellectual potential

The study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between subtest scatter on the WISC and higher intellectual potential. All subjects at one time obtained Full Scale IQ scores within the retarded range. Group I consisted of those children who upon reexamination with the WISC obtained Full Scale IQ scores of 75 or below, while Group 2 consisted of those children whose Full Scale IQ scores were now found to be nonretarded upon reexamination. The results indicated that the scatter on the initial examinations failed to predict the future group membership. Irrespective of group membership, scatter was found not to be related to change in Full Scale IQ scores. It was concluded that subtest scatter is a poor indicator of the presence of higher intellectual potential. It was also suggested that these findings are relevant to the WISC-R.     

Technical characteristics of the peabody individual achievement test as a function of item arrangement and basal and ceiling rules

The effects that item order and basal and ceiling rules have on test means, variances, and internal consistency estimates for the PIAT mathematics and reading recognition subtests were examined. Seven items on the math subtest and one item on the reading recognition subtest were significantly easier or harder than their test placement indicated. The use of basal and ceiling rules had a pronounced effect on the means, variances, and reliabilities on the multiple choice math subtest, while the rules' effects on the reading recognition subtests were minor. Item order also affected scores on the math subtest.     

Measurement Models,Estimation, and the Study of Change

The study of change is based on the idea that the score or index at each measurement occasion has the same meaning and metric across time. In tests or scales with multiple items, such as those common in the social sciences, there are multiple ways to create such scores. Some options include using raw or sum scores (i.e., sum of item responses or linear transformation thereof), using Rasch-scaled scores provided by the test developers, fitting item response models to the observed item responses and estimating ability or aptitude, and jointly estimating the item response and growth models. We illustrate that this choice can have an impact on the substantive conclusions drawn from the change analysis using longitudinal data from the Applied Problems subtest of the Woodcock–Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery–Revised collected as part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care. Assumptions of the different measurement models, their benefits and limitations, and recommendations are discussed.     

Diagnostic utility of the number of Wisc‐III subtests deviating from mean performance among students with learning disabilities

This paper examined the diagnostic utility of subtest variability, as represented by the number of subtests that deviate from examinees' mean IQ scores, for identifying students with a learning disability (LD). Participants consisted of the 2,200 students in the WISC‐III normative sample and 684 students (Mdngrade = 5; Mage = 10.8) identified as LD. The number of subtests deviating from examinees' Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ by ±3 points for normative and exceptional samples were contrasted via Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analyses. Results indicated that LD students did not differ from normative sample children at levels above chance. It was concluded that deviation of individual subtest scores from mean IQ scores has no diagnostic utility for hypothesizing about students with learning disabilities. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Sex Differences on the Dutch WISC‐R: a comparison with the USA and Scotland

Sex differences in the Dutch standardisation sample of the WISC‐R are analysed. The results correspond very closely to the sex differences in the Scottish and American standardisation samples. Boys scored significantly higher on the general intelligence factor and on the verbal and visuospatial factors. Girls scored higher on the perceptual speed/memory factor. There was no effect of age on sex differences. One of the causes for the higher scores for boys on the general and verbal factors is the relatively substantial sex difference on the Information subtest.     

Wechsler scale performance patterns of American Indian children

Using WISC, WISC-R, and WPPSI subtest scores recategorized according to the Bannatyne scheme, the study uncovered evidence for the existence of an Indian Wechsler Scale performance pattern that is different from that found in normal and learning disabled groups. The Indian pattern finds spatial abilities more well developed than sequencing skills, which are superior to conceptual and acquired knowledge performances. The sample was composed of 142 Indian children, primarily Ojibwa (Chippewa). Supporting hypotheses addressed differences between groups of traditional Indian children and those who are more Anglo acculturated. The traditional children evidenced the Indian pattern of recategorized Wechsler subtest performance, while the more acculturated groups did not. Discussion of results centers on factors that may be related to the Indian pattern, such as cultural heritage, otitis media, and the school curriculum.     

Test reviews

The WISC‐III and WPPSI‐R are both recent additions to the assessment scene. Each revised battery is technically excellent, and has several features that enhance its usefulness for gifted children: a very representative standardization sample; successful efforts to provide adequate “top” on all subtests, except at the oldest ages for which each battery is intended; and elimination of biased items. However, both revised tests place an unusually high premium on speed of responding, which may substantially affect gifted children's IQs. In addition, subtest stability tends to be low for both tests, hindering profile interpretation. Overall, both tests should make useful contributions to gifted assessment.     

Effects of Example Choice on Interest,Control, and Learning

We investigated example choice as a new method for the teaching of formal theoretical principles. Formal principles are presented with several examples from different topics, and students choose the one that interests them most. Example choice might be related to prior knowledge, interest, or perceived control. In an experimental study, we examined the effects of degree of example choice and degree of prior knowledge on interest, perceived control, and learning outcomes in a presentation on confirmation bias. The main finding was that participants who could choose an example showed more interest in the presentation of the formal principle than participants who either were given an example by the experimenter or only saw the presentation. Control was lowest for the group without example choice and without prior knowledge. Finally, prior knowledge, but not example choice, increased performance on a transfer of knowledge task. Example choice thus offers a new approach for closing the gap between formal principles as presented at school and a student's interests.     

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.