Use of MMPI short forms with psychiatric patients.

Compared the use of 2 MMPI short forms, the MMPI-168 and the Mini-Mult, with the complete MMPI using 2,721 psychiatric inpatients and 634 outpatients. Estimated Full Scale MMPI scores for both short forms showed very high relationships with actual Full Scale scores, and the degree of profile agreement for the 3 highest scales was also quite high, although comparisons of the MMPI-168 and Mini-Mult demonstrated a number of significant differences which affect profile interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological test performance and the attention deficit disorders: Clinical utility of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery—Children's Revision.

The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery—Children"s Revision (LNNB—CR) was administered to 54 clinic-referred children aged 8–12 years. Children reliably diagnosed as attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity were compared with children diagnosed as attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity and with a clinic control group diagnosed with internalizing disorders. Both attention deficit disorder groups were lower than the control group in verbal and Full Scale IQ scores but did not differ from one another. The groups did not differ significantly on any of the LNNB—CR clinical scales, on the right or left hemisphere scores, or on the pathognomonic score using analyses of variance (ANOVA) or analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) with both Full Scale IQ and age as covariates. These findings failed to support the hypothesis that attention deficit disorder, either with or without hyperactivity, is associated with neuropsychological dysfunction as measured by the LNNB—CR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further appraisal of the Verbal scale as a short form of the WAIS.

Verbal IQ from the WAIS has been found to overestimate Full Scale IQ, and consequently, the Verbal scale has been judged unsatisfactory as a WAIS short form. To investigate this question further, a regression equation relating Verbal and Full Scale IQs was derived from the scores of 100 psychiatric and medical patients and was cross-validated on a 2nd sample (40 Ss from the same S pool). In both groups, scores were highly correlated, and Verbal IQ significantly exceeded Full Scale IQ. Regression estimates, however, closely estimated mean Full Scale IQ, suggesting that the Verbal scale can serve effectively as a WAIS abbreviation. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An economical method for the evaluation of general intelligence in adults.

Evaluated the ability of the Wonderlic Personnel Test to replicate the WAIS using 120 persons divided into principal and cross-validation groups. The correlations between Wonderlic IQs and WAIS Full Scale IQs were .93 for the main group and .91 for the cross-validation group. The Wonderlic IQ scores were within 10 points of the WAIS Full Scale scores in 90% of the cases. Differences in age, sex, years of education, level of intelligence, and emotional adjustment did not adversely impact on the reproduction of WAIS Full Scale IQs by the Wonderlic. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-III premorbid prediction strategies: Demographic and best performance approaches.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; D. Wechsler, 1991) standardization data were used to explore premorbid prediction strategies for use with children. First, demographic variables including parental education, occupation, and ethnicity were entered in regression analyses to determine demographic-based premorbid prediction equations. Predicted IQ scores correlated with Full Scale IQ, Verbal IQ, and Performance IQ at .53, .52, and .45, respectively. Second, demographic and current ability variables were used conjointly. The 10 standard subtests individually served as measures of present ability, and ethnicity and parental education served as demographic predictors. These equations doubled or tripled the amount of variance accounted for by demographic variables alone. Third, a WISC-III best performance approach was explored with use of the subtest/demographic equations that included either Vocabulary or Picture Completion, referred to as the BEST-2 approach. The utility of this BEST-2 approach and the pure demographic approach was investigated in a clinical sample of brain-injured children. Results support the validity of both approaches in estimating premorbid functioning in children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the WAIS and the WAIS—R in the upper ranges of IQ.

35 medical students were administered 1 of 2 combination forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the WAIS—Revised (WAIS—R) in a single session, with the WAIS and WAIS—R components presented in a counterbalanced order using a procedure that avoided the repetition of identical items. The WAIS IQ scores were higher than were the WAIS—R IQ scores. The higher the WAIS Full Scale IQ, the smaller the Full Scale IQ difference between the 2 tests. Unexpectedly, the Verbal minus Performance discrepancy was greater on the WAIS—R than on the WAIS. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparability of the WAIS and the WAIS—R: A consideration of level of neuropsychological impairment.

Subjects of varying levels of neuropsychological impairment who were administered the revised version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R) were found to obtain significantly lower Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs than a comparable group of subjects who were administered the original version (WAIS). Significant main effects for level of impairment were found for all IQ measures irrespective of the Wechsler scale administered. No significant interactions of Scale?×?Level of Impairment were found for any IQ measure. The results provide the first empirical support for neuropsychologists' use of a standard expected difference between WAIS and WAIS-R IQ scores as a baseline for assessing changes in intellectual functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

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)     

Efficacy of the Satz-Mogel short form WAIS—R for tumor patients with lateralized lesions.

The ability of the P. Satz and S. Mogel (1962) short form Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) to provide equivalent information about IQ scores and age-corrected scale scores was examined as a function of side of lesion for 34 left hemisphere damaged (LHD) and 29 right hemisphere damaged (RHD) patients having primary brain tumors. Correlations between the 2 forms were significant for all WAIS—R scores with the exception of the Object Assembly subtest for RHD patients. The short form significantly overestimated Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, Full Scale IQ, Similarities, and Picture Arrangement subtest scores. It significantly underestimated Object Assembly subtest scores. A marked percentage of patients showed 1 or more category changes for most WAIS—R scores and 2 or more category changes for some of these scores. The distribution of discrepancies between scores and the number of category changes did not differ significantly for LHD and RHD patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of WAIS–R seven-subtest short form as applied to the standardization sample.

Summary scores from the full Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS–R; D. Wechsler, 1981) and the 7-subtest abbreviated form of the WAIS–R were examined across age and education levels in the standardization sample. Full scale IQ (FSIQ) scores demonstrated the highest comparability between forms, followed by verbal IQ (VIQ) and then performance IQ (PIQ) scores. In comparison with FSIQ and VIQ, correlations between the test versions were consistently lower for PIQ. Lower reliability was found among education groups and tests that included subtests that demonstrated greater variability. Age grouping did not impact the alternative forms reliability. The findings support the use of the 7-subtest short form of the WAIS–R primarily for VIQ and FSIQ summary scores with the additional caution that results from abbreviated scores result in reduced reliability and a larger standard error of measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speech and language in high-functioning autistic individuals.

Verbal individuals with autism provide an important opportunity for investigating the qualitative nature of speech and language impairments in autism. In this study, a psychometric analysis of the language performance of 62 high-functioning autistic (HFA; Full Scale IQ and Verbal IQ?>?70) participants was compared with that of 50 control participants matched for age, IQ, gender, race, education, and family socioeconomic distribution. Tests were included to compare basic procedural linguistic skills with complex, interpretive linguistic skills. The HFA participants did as well as controls on basic procedural language tests, but significantly less well on tests of complex interpretive language abilities. This profile is consistent with neuropsychological reports of generalized deficits in complex information-processing abilities with preservation of basic skills in the same functional areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scoring reliability on the WAIS-R.

WAIS-R protocols from 2 vocational counseling clients (aged 34 and 41 yrs) were scored by 19 psychologists and 20 graduate students. Regardless of scorer's experience level, mechanical scoring error produced summary scores varying by as much as 4–28 IQ points. For both protocols and both scoring groups, scoring agreement with the actual Full Scale IQ scores ranged from 32 to 35%. Over 77% of the scores were within 1 standard error of measurement (SEM) of the true scores. It is urged that IQs be reported in conjunction with a precision range based on the SEM of the test. (3 ref) (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.     

Differences in measures of personality and family environment among Black and White alcoholics.

Reviewing 16 studies, D. Pritchard and A. Rosenblatt (see record 1980-11070-001) claimed to find no evidence that the MMPI is racially biased. M. Gynther and S. B. Green (see record 1980-11037-001), reviewing 40 studies, concluded that racial bias in the MMPI varies as a function of sampling, with bias more likely when normal Blacks are compared with normal Whites but not when abnormal groups are compared. The present study compared MMPI scores of 272 White and 56 Black alcoholics. Blacks scored significantly lower on a few scales (e.g., Hysteria), but profile differences were not clinically meaningful, particularly when the covariates of age, education, and socioeconomic status were controlled. Blacks differed appreciably on the Family Environment Scale (FES), however, rating social climates more positively than Whites. Findings that Blacks obtained negligible differences on a wholly White normed test (the MMPI), contrasted with the significant differences and better adjustment shown by Blacks over Whites on a test normed with minority-group representation (the FES), interject new considerations into the issue of racial bias. Whereas nonsignificant differences would not appear to support the contention of racial bias on the MMPI, FES results question whether such nonsignificance actually rules out test bias. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised intersubtest scatter in brain-damaged patients: A comparison with the standardization sample.

Assessed the validity of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) intersubtest scatter (as measured by the scaled score range and profile variability index) as an indication of cognitive impairment due to brain dysfunction. Ss were 216 brain-damaged men with means for age, education, and Full Scale IQ of 54.54 yrs (SD?=?14.56), 11.58 yrs (SD?=?2.53), and 85.65 (SD?=?11.02), respectively. The scatter indexes for brain-damaged Ss were compared with those of the WAIS—R standardization sample. Results indicate that intersubtest scatter among brain-damaged patients with Full Scale IQs ≤109 is not greater than for "normal" persons with similar IQs. Likewise, the number of patients at different ability levels with abnormal scatter was highly similar to that for the standardization sample. Interpretation of marked intersubtest variability as a sign of brain damage appears unwarranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI content scales: Dimensional structure, construct validity, and interpretive norms in a psychiatric population.

MMPI protocols for 242 acute psychiatric inpatients were scored on the 13 content scales. The age, IQ, and education of each S were also recorded. Content-scale scores were compared with scores from normal groups and were found to be significantly greater. The 16 variables were subjected to a principal-components factor analysis with a varimax rotation. The resulting 5 factors accounted for 71.7% of the common variance. Three of the factors replicated J. S. Wiggins's (1973) results. IQ and education emerged as one independent factor and age as another. The results provide evidence for the construct validity of the content scales as self-report measures of psychopathology. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term stability of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition.

Long-term stability of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; D. Wechsler, 1991) was investigated with a sample of 667 students from 33 states twice evaluated for special education consideration. With an average test-retest interval of 2.87 years, test-retest reliability coefficients for the Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ were .87, .87, and .91, respectively (p     

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)     

Standardization of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised for persons 75 years and older.

This project expanded the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) normative tables for the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs and age-corrected subtest scores to persons aged 75 yrs and older. A sample of 130 normal volunteers was selected according to 1983 census data on the variables of age, education, sex, and race. Means for age and education were 81.24 yrs (SD?=?5.24) and 9.54 yrs (SD?=?2.50). There were 74 White women, 42 White men, 9 Black women, and 5 Black men. Ss lived in the states of Kansas (60.7%), Missouri (34.6%), and Iowa (4.6%), with 90% residing in urban centers and 10% in rural communities. All Ss were administered a complete WAIS—R by trained examiners. On the basis of the raw scores, Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ conversion tables were developed separately for persons 75–79 yrs of age (n?=?60) and aged 80 yrs and older (n?=?70). Conversion tables (M?=?10; SD?=?3) for age-corrected scaled scores were also developed for both age groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)