WISC performance in acting-out and delinquent children with and without EEG abnormality.

To evaluate the relationship between EEG status and intelligence test performance, the WISC scores of 139 nondefective, acting-out and delinquent children referred for psychiatric evaluation were examined. The distribution of Verbal IQ-Performance IQ (VIQ-PIQ) discrepancies was compared with that reported for the WISC standardization population. Girls did not differ significantly from the standardization population, but boys showed a significantly larger proportion with PIQ > VIQ than in the standardization population. Neither boys nor girls showed significant differences in scores between groups with abnormal EEGs and those with normal and borderline EEGs. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speech and language development of children born at < or = 32 weeks' gestation: a 5-year prospective follow-up study

Speech and language comprehension and production were assessed at the age of 5 years in a cohort of children born preterm at < or = 32 weeks' gestational age (N=55) in comparison with children born at term and of similar age, sex, and social backgrounds. Data both including and excluding major neurological disabilities are presented. Mean performance for the entire group of preterm children was significantly lower than for the controls on most of the measures including the composite IQ scores. When the nine children who had major neurological disabilities were excluded from the preterm group, statistically significant differences were found on four of the total 12 speech and language measures. Intellectually normal preterm children without major neurological disability were slower than the controls on rapid word retrieval. In addition, difficulties in comprehending relative concepts were typical for the preterm children. The results suggest 'subtle dysnomia', which is indicative of later reading problems. On global verbal measures and on the basic speech and language aspects the study groups did not differ. Specific language impairment, defined as a discrepancy of > 1SD between Performance IQ and Verbal IQ scores, showed a tendency to be more common in the control group. Within both the study groups, the boys showed a tendency for a greater discrepancy between their Performance and Verbal IQ scores.     

Psychological functions in children treated for acute lymphatic leukemia. A 5-year follow-up of three different age groups of children

All the children, five girls and ten boys aged 8-16 years, mean 11 years, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia which had been diagnosed in 1980, 1981 or 1983 and was still in remission in 1990, were examined. The treatment included intratecal methotrexate, but no irradiation. Mean age at the time of diagnosis was 4.5 years. All the WISC-R IQ-scores were within the normal range (mean Full Scale IQ 109, range 93-142). Six children had a high negative Verbal/Performance split score (mean +/- 23, range -15 to -33). This indicated dysfunction in verbal compared with nonverbal problem solving ability. Only one child had a high positive WISC-R split score (+23). Except for one child, all the scores on the Visual-Motor Integration Test were within the normal range. The Achenbach checklists were completed by parents and teachers. A small increase was found in the total problem scores, but most of the children were evaluated as well adapted.     

Twins: Patterns of cognitive development as measured on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence.

Appraised cognitive patterning and development for 142 pairs of twins at 4, 5, and 6 yrs of age, based on their test scores on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Compared with the singleton norms, the twins showed an initial lag at age 4, with Verbal IQ being somewhat more depressed than Performance IQ. By age 6, however, the twins had fully recovered their deficit on both scales and reached parity with singletons. Monozygotic twins displayed relatively high within-pair correlations for Verbal IQ and Performance IQ, and even higher correlations for Full Scale IQ. Dizygotic twins displayed moderate within-pair correlations for the IQ scores, and most were significantly lower than the monozygotic correlations. Further analysis showed that monozygotic twins were also significantly more concordant for the differences between Verbal IQ and Performance IQ, and for the patterning of the subtest scores. Measures of family socioeconomic status and parental education correlated .28-.32 with the twins' IQ at age 6. Results suggest that within a broad range of home environments, the genetic blueprint made a substantial contribution to cognitive patterning and development. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WAIS—R abbreviated forms in the elderly: A comparison of the Satz-Mogel with a seven-subtest short form.

The Satz-Mogel abbreviation of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) was compared with a 7-subtest short form (L. C. Ward, see record 1991-00137-001) in samples of normal and neurologically impaired elderly persons 75 yrs and older. The normals were 130 Ss from the old-age WAIS—R standardization sample, and the brain-damaged group consisted of 40 men with medically diagnosed brain dysfunction (average age 79.5 yrs). The short forms were highly similar in administration times, correlations with the WAIS—R IQs, estimation of the average IQ scores, and in classification of intelligence for both the normal and neurologically impaired Ss. Finally, both short forms correctly estimated significant Verbal IQ–Performance IQ discrepancies about 75% of the time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WAIS and WISC-R "VP" scores: Sampling characteristics from three psychiatric populations.

Calculated Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ (VP) scores, from the WAIS and WISC—R, for 2 adult populations (84 forensic and 429 14–68 yr old psychiatric inpatients) and 1 child population (72 psychiatric outpatients [mean age 12.34 yrs]). Sampling characteristics of the VP score distributions and other related statistics are reported. The data, which should be useful to clinicians, provide normative information concerning the Verbal and Performance IQ parameters, as well as concerning schizophrenic patients specifically. (French abstract) (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two types of tables for use with the WAIS-R.

Confidence intervals for the WAIS-R were computed for the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. IQ intervals for the 85, 90, 95, and 99% levels of confidence are reported for each of the 9 standardization sample age groups and the entire sample. Differences between Verbal and Performance IQ scores required for 90 and 99% levels of significance are also reported. All values are computed on the basis of the standard errors of measurement reported in the WAIS-R manual for the standardization sample. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examiner sex bias and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children scores.

Administered the WISC (excluding Mazes and Digit Span) to 64 3rd graders randomly selected for IQ. Eight examiners, 4 males and 4 females, each tested 8 children, 4 boys and 4 girls. Female examiners elicited higher Full Scale IQ, Verbal IQ, Comprehension, Similarities, and Vocabulary scores from all children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children with in utero cocaine exposure do not differ from control subjects on intelligence testing

OBJECTIVE: To determine if in utero cocaine exposure affects IQ scores in children at age 4 years. DESIGN: A prospective, longitudinal evaluation by blinded examiners of the IQ scores of cocaine-exposed and control children of low socioeconomic status who have been observed since birth. SETTING: A study center in an inner-city hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred one children with in utero cocaine exposure and 118 control children, all of whom were 34 weeks' gestational age or older and nonasphyxiated at birth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Intelligence quotient scores on a standardized intelligence test, the Wechsler preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence--Revised. RESULTS: Seventy-one cocaine-exposed and 78 control children were administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence--Revised. Maternal, natal, and 30-month characteristics of the children tested did not differ from those not tested. Groups did not differ on mean Performance (83.2 vs 87.0), Verbal (79.0 vs 80.8), or Full Scale (79.0 vs 81.9) IQ scores (all P > or = .10 [values for cocaine-exposed children given first]). None of these 3 scores was associated with cocaine exposure in multivariate linear regressions. Although cocaine-exposed and control groups did not differ in outcome, 93% of cocaine-exposed and 96% of control children had Full Scale IQ scores below 100, the mean IQ score for the test. CONCLUSIONS: In an inner-city cohort, IQ scores did not differ between cocaine-exposed and control children. However, both groups performed poorly.     

Validity of the Luria-Nebraska Intellectual Processes Scale as a measure of adult intelligence.

Luria-Nebraska Intellectual Processes Scale (IPS) scores were correlated with the 3 WAIS IQs of 33 right-handed psychiatric patients (mean age 41 yrs), and regression equations were computed to obtain estimated Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ using the IPS as the predictor variable. Mean differences between estimated IQs and the WAIS IQs were nonsignificant. There was high agreement with respect to the classification into normal vs subnormal levels of intelligence. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery—Children's Revision: Concurrent validity with three learning disability subtypes.

Concurrent validity of the Luria-Nebraska Psychological Battery—Children's Revision (LNNB—C) was studied in 82 learning disabled children who were divided into three groups according to Verbal and Performance IQ differences on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R). The three groups, comparable in age and on WISC—R Full-Scale IQ scores, were designated auditory-linguistic (Verbal IQ?     

Ethnic differences on the Bender-Gestalt: Relative effects of measured intelligence.

223 Black, 203 Hispanic, and 226 White 5–11 yr olds were administered the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BVMG) and either the WPPSI or WISC—R to investigate ethnic differences on the BVMG and to clarify the effects of intelligence on BVMG performance. ANOVA indicated that there were significant differences among ethnic groups on BVMG performance for 4 age groups (6, 9, 10, and 11 yrs) and for the total sample. In general, Blacks made more errors than did the other ethnic groups, and their scores produced the lowest correlation coefficient with age. Data were reanalyzed using the Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs as covariates. These analyses indicated that IQ was a significant factor for each age group and either eliminated or decreased the significance of the main effect (ethnicity). Implications for test interpretation and limitations are discussed. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unilateral lesions and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised: No sex differences.

Tested sex differences previously reported in WAIS—R scores (Verbal IQ vs Performance IQ discrepancies) in male patients with unilateral lesions by administering the WAIS—R to 31 Ss (16 males [mean age 42.6 yrs] and 15 females [mean age 38.4 yrs]) with right-hemisphere lesions and to 32 Ss (17 males [mean age 32 yrs] and 15 females [mean age 40.7 yrs]) with left hemisphere lesions. Results show that both males and females had expected discrepancies between Verbal IQ and Performance IQ. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of the examiner's race on black children's Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence IQ.

Used a test-retest design to investigate the effect of examiner's race on the IQ scores of 28 male and 14 female low-income black 47-69 mo old preschoolers. 6 female examiners, 3 black and 3 white, administered an abbreviated form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of intelligence to the Ss. Each S was tested by a black examiner and by a white examiner. Results indicate that the main effect of the examiner's race was significant for the Verbal, Performance, and Full-Scale IQs. The children earned higher mean scores when tested by the examiner of similar ethnic origin. A significant administration effect and Administration * Sex effect was revealed on the Verbal scale. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eight-year follow-up of cognitive development in 33 twin pairs

This is a follow-up study of twins, including 33 twinpairs from the Stockholm area, aiming to study the cognitive development of twins at eight years of age. The twins have been followed at different ages from birth onwards. All children were tested with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children in a Swedish translation (WISC). The WISC test consists of a Verbal and a Performance Scale. There were no significant differences between twin girls and twin boys on these Scales. On the Performance subtests Block Design, Object Assembly, and Coding, however, the twin girls performed significantly better than the twin boys. In comparing cognitive development for twins and singletons, the twin group had somewhat lower average scores than the singletons. Prematurity and low birth weight continued to be related to cognitive development at eight years of age. Also at this age the school teacher completed a questionnaire about the twins social behaviour and some personality traits. There was a relation between one questionnaire factor, a low score of assertiveness, and the mother's negative or ambivalent expectations concerning the twin pregnancy. The twin group with the mother's negative expectations also had significantly lower results on the subtests Comprehension and Coding. Negative mothers had more premature twins than mothers who were positive toward the twin pregnancy.     

Abnormality of the difference and the WISC-R: Comment on Silverstein.

Discusses reactions by C. R. Reynolds (see record 1979-27697-001) and A. B. Silverstein (see PA, Vol 66:00000) to an earlier article by the present author (see record 1979-12366-001) that examined the size of abnormal differences between WISC-R subtest scaled scores and Verbal–Performance IQ scores. An error is acknowledged in the presentation of the Verbal–Performance IQ differences, and the validity of the abnormality of the difference statistic for examining subtest scaled scores is discussed. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparing the Canadian and American WAIS-III normative systems in inpatient neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry.

Canadian clinicians have used American norms for adult intelligence tests for more than 60 years. However, the availability of the Canadian norms for the WAIS-III prompts clinicians in Canada to make a decision regarding which norms to use in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to compare the interpretive effects of applying American and Canadian normative systems in a sample of 100 forensic psychiatry and neuropsychiatry inpatients. The Canadian normative system yielded scores that were systematically lower than the American scores. Thus, clinicians may conclude greater impairment in intellectual ability when using Canadian norms. The index scores that were most similar were Processing Speed followed by Verbal Comprehension. With the exception of these two indices, clinically different conclusions might be derived on 13-21% of individual IQ or Index scores for these patients. The scores that differed the most were the Full Scale IQ and the Performance IQ. The subtests, in general, were highly similar across the normative systems, although scores using the Canadian norms were systematically lower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Percentage of WAIS-R standardization sample obtaining verbal-performance discrepancies.

Computations were performed to determine the frequency in the standardization sample of specific Verbal–Performance discrepancies on the WAIS-R. All values were computed for each of 9 age groups and the average of the entire sample as reported in the WAIS-R manual. Results suggest that an examination of frequency data should be a routine procedure when interpreting Verbal–Performance discrepancy scores. The importance and possible applications of such frequency data are discussed. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal consistency of Matching Familiar Figures Test performance from early childhood to preadolescence.

Age-appropriate versions of the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) were administered to 29 girls and 30 boys at ages 3, 4, 5, and 11 yrs. Uncorrected for attenuation, MFFT error scores were more consistent over time than MFFT latency scores for both girls and boys. When the longitudinal MFFT correlations were corrected for attenuation, the magnitude of the MFFT error coefficients increased considerably, whereas the magnitude of the MFFT latency coefficients remained basically unchanged. Thus, MFFT latency scores seem to have relatively little long-term implications as compared to MFFT error scores. Across-time consistency of MFFT error scores was an appreciable function of WPPSI or WISC Performance IQ, supporting a "competence" view rather than a "conceptual tempo" view of what the MFFT measures. In girls, the size of the inverse relation between MFFT error and MFFT latency increased from age 3 to 5 yrs and then leveled off. In boys, this relationship remained unchanged between ages 3 and 5 yrs but increased markedly after age 5. Implications for the validity of the MFFT as a measure of an enduring cognitive style are discussed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual bias in the WAIS.

The WAIS protocols of 50 male and 50 female college students were analyzed for differential subtest performance. Although no significant differences were found for education, age, or Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale IQ, males were found to be highly superior on the Information, Arithmetic, Block Design, and Picture Arrangement subtests. Females were markedly superior on the Digit Symbol subtest. Wechsler's M-F score was calculated for each group and was found to differentiate the sexes better than any single subtest. The results suggest the presence of sexual bias in the WAIS even when age, education, IQ, and experience are held fairly constant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)