Discriminative validity of various intelligence and neuropsychological tests.

Compared the discriminative validities of the WAIS, the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNTB), and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) with regard to predicting presence or absence of brain damage in 84 neuropsychiatric patients who were divided into brain-damaged (mean age 48.61 yrs) and non-brain-damaged (mean age 43.48 yrs) Ss. Discriminant analysis showed that percentages of correct classification were lower for the WAIS than for the other procedures. A hierarchical analysis indicated that the addition of variables from the HRNTB and LNNB procedures increased discriminative validity above what was obtained on the basis of the WAIS. The discriminative validities of the HRNTB and the LNNB procedures were essentially equal to each other. It is concluded that it is worthwhile to administer the HRNTB and the LNNB in doing neuropsychological assessments despite the reported high correlations between indices derived from these batteries and measures of general intellectual function. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlation of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery with the WAIS.

In a sample of 280 psychiatric, neurological, and normal Ss (mean age 35.7 yrs), Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery Verbal IQ correlated—.84, Performance IQ—.74, and Full Scale IQ—.84 with the WAIS, results very similar to those of A. Prifitera and J. J. Ryan (1981). Correlations between individual Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery scales and WAIS subtests are reported and their implications discussed. Present findings indicate that the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery can provide useful estimates of summary WAIS IQ scores. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term reliability of the Wonderlic Personnel Test.

As a brief measure of general intelligence, the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) has been shown by C. B. Dodrill (see record 1982-00123-001) to render IQ scores closely resembling the WAIS Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). Long-term stability of the WPT IQ has not yet been demonstrated, however. In the present study, 30 normal adults were administered both the WPT and the WAIS on 2 occasions 5 yrs apart. Ss were 17–69 yrs of age at the 2nd testing. Test–retest reliability was .94 for the WPT and .96 for the WAIS FSIQ. The 2 tests were similar in terms of reliability of clinical classification, but the WPT demonstrated fewer practice effects than the WAIS. It is concluded that the WPT merits additional attention by clinical psychologists. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric parameters of the Average Impairment Rating scale.

Determined the psychometric soundness of the Average Impairment Rating derived from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNB) by administering the HRNB and the WAIS to 313 Ss (mean age 46.3 yrs) who were brain damaged and to 103 control Ss (mean age 43.7 yrs). Results show that the Average Impairment Rating was psychometrically sound. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological impairment in pedophiles.

Compared 15 heterosexual, 14 homosexual, and 10 bisexual male pedophiles (mean age 39 yrs) to 14 nonviolent nonsex offenders (mean age 25 yrs), using the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery, the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), and computerized tomography scans. Ss were classified into their groups based on criminal history, a standard sex history assessment, and a phallometric test of erotic preference. Pedophiles tended to have lower IQs than controls and showed significantly more impairment on all measures. Left temporo-parietal pathology was noted more often for pedophiles. Findings suggest that neuropsychological examination can provide useful and potentially discriminating information in pedophilia and should be considered an important supplement in clinical assessments of the disorder. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological test performance in mildly hypoxemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Previous research has demonstrated neuropsychological deficits in moderately to severely hypoxemic, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The present article reports on the neuropsychological functioning of mildly hypoxemic COPD patients. 100 patients (mean age 61.5 yrs) and 25 controls (mean age 59.6 yrs) matched on relevant variables were given extensive neuropsychological tests including the WAIS, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Mild neuropsychological impairment was observed in the COPD Ss, with overall indexes of neuropsychological dysfunction correlating with resting partial pressure of oxygen. Depression and motivation to perform could not account for the results. Long-term reduced oxygen supply to the brain may account for these observed deficits. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A test–retest reliability study of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

The WAIS is one of the most widely used means for assessing intelligence, yet data on test–retest reliability are scarce. The test–retest IQs of 50 psychiatric patients (mean age 44 yrs) were correlated. The patients were not from any specific diagnostic group. They were included in the sample only because they had been given the WAIS before. The interval between test and retest averaged almost 2 yrs. All test–retest correlations were .90 or over. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological functioning after mercury exposure.

Observed visuographic and paranoid symptomatology in 26 dentists (mean age, 49.9 yrs) with elevated mercury levels. Neuropsychological functions were assessed with measures such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Bender-Gestalt Test, and the SCL-90 (Revised). Although the observed changes were mild, their presence suggests subtoxic hazards associated with dental practice and underscore a continual need for maintaining mercury hygiene. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and social functioning across adulthood: Age or student status differences?

20 younger adult students (aged 19–24 yrs), 21 older adult students (aged 61–76 yrs), and 22 older adult nonstudents (aged 62–76 yrs) were assessed for health (self-ratings of physical and mental health), social functioning (self-ratings of physical and mental activity, perceived role activity level, perceived roles, locus of control, and age–norm expectations), and cognitive functioning (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised [WAIS—R] Vocabulary and Block Design, and paired associate memory). Age differences were observed in self-ratings of health, social roles, intellectual performance, and memory. No student status differences were observed. Results are discussed in terms of plasticity of intellectual function and characteristics of student status in later adulthood. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of neuropsychological ability in brain-disordered versus normal children.

Examined the pattern of higher level vs lower level deficits in 25 brain-impaired children (aged 9–14 yrs) compared with 25 normal children (aged 9–24 yrs). It was hypothesized that measures of higher level abilities, such as abstract reasoning, would show greater differences between the groups than would measures of lower level abilities. Higher level functions measured included general neuropsychological functioning and verbal/academic skills; lower level functions measured included sensory and motor skills. Tests were selected from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Children, the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and the Wide Range Achievement Test. Results show that the brain-impaired group was significantly poorer in each area of ability except sensory measures. Measures of motor functioning and general neuropsychological abilities best discriminated the brain-damaged group from the controls. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of cognitive function in community-dwelling and institutionalized old people of normal intelligence.

30 people (aged 70–88 yrs) living in the community and 44 institutionalized people (aged 71–89 yrs) were administered a neuropsychological cognitive test battery. Screening procedures ensured that Ss were equivalent in terms of health, age, education, and socioeconomic status (SES). A comparison of groups on a cognitive index derived from the test battery yielded a significant difference even when IQ as derived from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) was factored out. Of the 15 cognitive tests, 8 contributed to the group differences. All 8 tests are sensitive to medial-temporal lobe or frontal lobe damage. Results confirm earlier findings (e.g., G. Winocur et al; see record 1988-20729-001) that people who are functioning well in institutions may have significant cognitive impairment. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult age differences in cued recall.

Examined the relative effectiveness of semantic and structural retrieval cues in 72 male college graduates of 3 age groups: Group 1 (aged 20–39 yrs), Group 2 (aged 40–59 yrs), and Group 3 (aged 60–80 yrs). The Ss had been administered 2 subtests of the WAIS to insure the compatibility of the Ss. Results of the recall tests show that there was significantly poorer recall by the older Ss in the noncued conditions (free recall) and in the cued condition when structural cues were used. When category labels were used as semantic cues, however, the age deficit in recall was eliminated. Results are discussed in terms of both a retrieval hypothesis and a processing-deficit hypothesis. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of education and IQ in the WAIS—R standardization sample.

Analyzed years of schooling as compared to WAIS—R scores in each of the 1,880 Ss used to standardize the test. Results show a progressive increase in mean Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) from individuals who completed 8 or fewer years of education (FSIQ?=?86.4) to individuals who completed 9–21 yrs (FSIQ?=?96.4), 12 yrs (FSIQ?=?100.1), 13–25 yrs (FSIQ?=?107.4) and 16 or more years of education (FSIQ?=?115.3). In a further analysis, 600 16–24 yr old Ss included in the sample were excluded because they had not yet completed their education. Results show that the correlation between education and FSIQ was .63 for 500 24–44 yr old Ss and .62 for 730 45–74 yr old Ss. It is suggested that when other information is available, years of schooling may be used in clinical neuropsychological practice as a rough estimate of premorbid WAIS—R IQ. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of geographic region upon Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale results: A Hawaii–mainland United States comparison.

Investigated geographic differences in WAIS results by comparing 60 Hawaiian and 60 US mainland psychiatric outpatients, equated in terms of age (16–20 yrs vs 30–66 yrs), education (high school vs college), and Performance IQ. The influence of pidgin English, a widely used local dialect in Hawaii, led to expectations that the Hawaiian Ss would have significantly lower WAIS Verbal scores than the mainland Ss. Data support these expectations. Results have implications for those geographic regions where, like Hawaii, the language patterns deviate significantly from the general norm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual-differences assessment of the relationship between change in and initial level of adult cognitive functioning.

Methodological factors may have been partially responsible for the inconsistency in findings from previous investigations into the relationship between change in, and initial level of, adult cognitive functioning. An alternative data-analytic procedure is proposed and applied to data from 277 men (25–76 yrs of age at initial testing) over 3 measurement occasions (interwave intervals of 6.7 yrs). Performances on both the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Vocabulary subtest were analyzed. The findings demonstrate that the significant negative relationships between change and initial status, found on both tests, were partially a function of measurement error. Once adjustments were made for errors of measurement, the previously significant negative relationship for the BVRT data became significantly positive, whereas for the WAIS the relationship remained significantly negative, although to a lesser degree. The importance of accounting for errors of measurement is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential improvement of cognitive functions in recovering alcoholic women.

In Study 1, 40 long-term sober alcoholics (mean age 42.15 yrs) performed at or near the level of 40 age-matched short-term sober alcoholics on several perceptuomotor speed tasks, at the level of 70 age-matched nonalcoholic controls on several complex problem-solving measures, and intermediate to the 2 groups on most measures, suggesting a differential improvement in cognitive abilities. In Study 2, the same neuropsychological battery (including the Beck Depression Inventory, Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, and WAIS) was first administered to 25 short-term sober alcoholics and 25 controls and readministered to both groups 1.8 yrs later. Relative to the controls, alcoholics demonstrated deficits over both testings on all abstracting, visual–spatial, and perceptuomotor measures, although they did show a trend toward greater improvement on these tests in the follow-up. Results suggest that posttreatment drinking may be a variable of considerable importance in studies of recovery of cognitive functions in alcoholics. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new clinical measure of attention: The Attentional Capacity Test.

Developed the Attentional Capacity Test (ACAT), which uses tasks that involve the processing of aurally presented numbers. A 60-item and a 24-item version of the ACAT were validated in 2 studies with a total of 144 normal Ss (aged 16–58 yrs) and 31 brain-damaged patients (aged 17–55 yrs). Other measures included the Digits Forward and Digits Backward tests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) and a paced auditory serial addition test. Overall, the ACAT appears to be a valid measure of attentional capacity. Normative data are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral correlates of mental growth: Birth to thirty-six years.

Reports findings of the Berkeley (California) Growth Study, a 36-yr longitudinal study of mental development. 74 full-term, healthy infants of White English-speaking parents, were studied over 7 mo. 63 Ss were followed for at least 3 yrs, 48 Ss were seen regularly over 18 yrs, and 54 Ss were interviewed and tested at age 36 yrs. Measures included newly developed tests of 1st-yr mental precocity, the Block Q-Sort, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Results reflect stability over the 36 yrs in both personality variables and mental abilities. Boys' high verbal scores correlated with calmness, positive responsiveness, and activeness: Girls' high verbal scores correlated with shyness at 10–24 mo and possibly unhappiness at 10–22 mo. While boys' behaviors and intelligence correlated with maternal behavior in the 1st 3 yrs through age 18 yrs, girls' corresponded to parental abilities. This suggests that girls are more resilient and less permanently affected by early experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial factors affecting the employment of former vocational rehabilitation clients.

Analyzed questionnaires completed by 211 former vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients (aged 15–61 yrs) 2 yrs after case closure for a clarification of the psychosocial factors that affect vocational adjustment. Questionnaires assessed employment status and problems, sources of income/financial status, health, and job satisfaction (for employed Ss only). WAIS Full Scale IQs were available for 195 Ss, and 120 Ss had completed the 16PF—Form E. Results show that the primary criteria of vocational adjustment (employment, job satisfaction, and persistence in looking for work) were associated with better self-appraised physical and mental health, greater perceived family support in seeking employment, more optimism about employment prospects, and attribution of the problem source to the environment. These variables suggest useful points for intervention by VR practitioners. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological stability in multiple sclerosis.

Compared the neuropsychological performances of 14 patients who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and who received repeated testings spaced over time by at least 1 yr with identical evaluations of 14 patients who had neurological involvement but not MS. Ss in each group were individually matched on CA at first testing (38.0 yrs for MS Ss and 37.0 yrs for controls), length of test-retest interval, sex, and years of formal education. Tests included the WAIS, the Wide Range Achievement Test, the Tactual Performance Test, the Seashore Rhythm Test, the Finger Angosia Test, and the Maze Coordination Test among others. Performance decrements attributable to the demyelination process of MS were primarily manifested on tasks requiring motor proficiency or complex sensory discriminations. Tests of higher order cognitive functions (e.g., abstractions, speech perception) were less adversely affected, except for measures having significant motor components. Preliminary MMPI data are also presented. Results indicate relative preservation or only mild deterioration for most intellectual abilities despite worsened motor-sensory functioning. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)