Intelligence Testing and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV

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Intelligence Testing and the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children - IV
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Wechsler Intelligence Scales

• WAIS Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• WISC Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
  (ages 6 to 17 years)
• WPPSI Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of
  Intelligence (ages 2.5 to 7 years)

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Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV
(Published in 2003)

• 15 subscales, 10 of which are from the previous
  WISC-III (optional subtests in yellow, 11-15)
• 1. Block Design 9. Comprehension
• 2. Similarities 10. Symbol Search
• 3. Digit Span 11. Picture Completion
• 4. Picture Concepts 12.
  Cancellation
• 5. Coding 13. Information
• 6. Vocabulary 14. Arithmetic
• 7. Letter-Number Sequencing 15. Word
  Reasoning
• 8. Matrix Reasoning

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Scores on the WISC-III and WISC-IV

• Each subscale is age-corrected and converted to
  scaled scores with a mean of 10 and a standard
  deviation of 3
• Individual subtests do not have as much
  interpretive power as index scores (which are
  averaged over several subtests and age-corrected)
• For the WISC-III Overall IQ, and two main index
  scores were used (verbal and performance)
• For the WISC-IV Overall IQ, and four main index
  scores are used verbal comprehension, perceptual
  reasoning, working memory, processing speed (VCI,
  PRI, WMI, PSI)
• Index scores and overall IQ scores have a mean of
  100 and a standard deviation of 15

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Normal Distribution of IQ Scores
34
34
14
14
2
2
70
85
100
115
130
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Some Issues To Consider

• Issue 1 Without intellectual testing, some
  peoples struggles may look like another problem,
  such as a personality disorder.
• Demands may be too great, causing frustration or
  discouragement
• Accommodations made by family members and/or
  friends may be very large
• Person may recruit other skills to help manage
  problems that are too intellectually challenging

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Some Issues To Consider

• Issue 2 It is important to manage intellectual
  testing and its results in a professional and
  constructive manner.
• Intellectual testing without recommendations and
  follow-through is unconscionable
• Tests of adaptive functioning assess other life
  skills, which can help identify other strengths
• Intellectual and adaptive functioning can help
  identify tasks that are optimally challenging
• Possible similarity to un-needed medical testing

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Some Issues To Consider

• Issue 3 There are government services offered
  for children and adults, which are based on the
  results of intelligence testing.
• Pros and cons of cut-off score rigidity and rules
  for funding
• E.g., for giftedness
• E.g., for learning disability funding

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Want to know more?Google The general
intelligence factor and read the Scientific
American article by Linda X. Gottfredson