A study of the relationship between neurological evidence of brain damage in children and activity and distractibility.

Compared a group of 24 boys and 12 girls, 5-8 yr. of age, with neurological evidence of brain damage (selected with IQs above 75 on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) to a control group (matched for sex) on a series of measures of activity and distractibility. It was found that (a) although the average IQs of both groups were within the normal range, control Ss were significantly more intelligent; (b) in a structured situation, brain-damaged Ss were more active; (c) in 3 of 4 distractibility tasks more brain-injured Ss than control Ss were distractible; and (d) in the free situation, sex and damage interacted. Correlational analysis of the group indicates that a strong set of interrelationships existed between variables in the experimental group. Central to these relationships was the input modality through which the stimuli was transmitted. Data are interpreted as indicating that brain injury affects the child's capacity to control his immediate exchanges with his environment in terms of activity level and attention. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the WAIS and the WAIS—R for ages 61–91 years.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) were administered in a counterbalanced design to 72 subjects between the ages of 61 and 91 years, to determine their comparability by testing the equality of means and variances based on the scaled scores and IQs. Results indicated that the 2 scales were not equivalent (either with respect to subtest scaled scores or IQs) because they did not satisfy one or more of the criteria. Mean differences between tests showed the WAIS Verbal, Performance, and Full-Scale IQs to be higher than the corresponding WAIS—R estimates by 12, 13, and 13 points, respectively. Probable causes of these differences and their implications for clinical assessment are indicated. (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)     

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)     

Comparison of the performance of matched groups of black children and white children on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence.

Compared the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs of blacks and whites who were matched on age, sex, geographic region, father's occupation, and urban-rural residence. A group of 132 4-61/2 yr old pairs was obtained from the standardization sample of 1,044 whites and 156 blacks. The whites had significantly higher Verbal and Full Scale IQs at all age levels. Performance IQ, however, was significantly higher for the whites in the youngest group (ages 4-41/2) but not for those aged 5-51/2 and 6-61/2. Results are compared to previous findings, and implications are discussed in term of perceptual experiences. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of the seven subtest WAIS-R short form in a female sample with brain damage

We examined the accuracy of the WAIS-R seven subtest short form (Ward, 1990) for predicting IQs of 130 females with brain damage or dysfunction. Means for age, education, and FSIQ were 44.37 years (SD = 18.46), 12.74 years (SD = 2.42), and 87.64 (SD = 13.62). Results indicated that 93%, 84%, and 93% of short form estimated VIQs, PIQs, and FSIQs were within +/-5 points of their actual WAIS-R scores. In terms of Wechsler's (1981) seven category intelligence classification, levels of agreement were 83%, 72%, and 82% for the Verbal, Performance, and Full scales, respectively. These findings support the use of the seven subtest short form with brain-damaged women when time is at a premium and only a general estimate of intellectual functioning is required.     

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.     

Cognitive deficits, learning disabilities, and WISC Verbal–Performance consistency.

Three experiments compared 52 10–11 yr olds with specific learning disabilities (LDs) with controls on several tests of information processing and memory. Results show that (a) LD children with a balanced WISC Verbal–Performance IQ showed some deficit in the semantic processing of auditory verbal material; this deficit was not shown by LDs having a Performance IQ at least 15 points higher than their Verbal IQ; (b) increasing rate of presentation in information processing tasks did not affect the LDs more than the controls; (c) although the LDs showed little or no deficit in auditory digit span, they showed large deficits in short-term memory (STM) tasks involving supraspan auditory messages. A possible causal relationship between the STM deficits and academic disabilities is discussed in terms of an inability of the STM maintenance system to deal with overload. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of the performance of hypertensive and normotensive subjects on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

Performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) was followed over 2 5- to 6-year intervals for essential hypertensive Ss (EH; n?=?22) free from medical complications and for normotensive Ss (N; n?=?20). EH were treated with adrenergic beta-blocking drugs, diuretics, or both. Mean age was 46 years (SD?=?12.6 years), initially (Time 1). Results were unaltered by adjustment for initial age. N improved modestly on the Verbal scale, from Time 1 to Time 2 only. EH neither improved nor declined on the Verbal scale. Scores remained unchanged for both EH and N Ss for the Performance scale. Overall, and at Times 2 and 3, Verbal scores were lower for the EH group. It was concluded that neither decline nor improvement in cognitive function over time are necessary outcomes of modest, carefully treated, uncomplicated hypertension in the middle years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The hand dynamometer as a neuropsychological measure.

The sensitivity of the hand dynamometer to the presence of brain damage and to its lateralization was evaluated and compared with that of the Tapping Test and the Tactual Performance Test. Four groups of 25 Ss each (average age 41 yrs) were studied (control, right-hemisphere damage, left-hemisphere damage, and bilateral damage). All Ss were right-handed and were controlled for race, sex, and education. Measures of performance included those of each hand taken separately as well as their sum. To identify the lateralization of brain lesions, the control group was used as a basis for comparison, the relative performances of each hand on each task were simultaneously considered. All test variables discriminate between the control and brain-damaged groups at high levels of statistical significance. Furthermore, the dynamometer discriminated between these groups as well as did the Tapping Test and Tactual Performance Test. Finally, the dynamometer correctly identified the lateralization of brain lesions in more instances than either of the other tests. It is concluded that the hand dynamometer is a neuropsychological measure of considerable promise. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of the WISC–III with deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (WISC–III; D. Wechsler, 1991 ) was factor analyzed on a sample of 106 deaf and hard-of-hearing children, ages 6 to 16 years. Two factors emerged and were labeled Language Comprehension (l) and Visual–Spatial Organization (v–s). There were no differences in Verbal, Performance, or Full Scale IQs between children attending mainstreamed vs. residential schools; children who were administered the test through an interpreter or by an examiner who used sign language or the oral-only directions; children whose communication mode was oral, American Sign Language (ASL), or signed English (SE); boys and girls; or children with moderate-to-severe or profound hearing impairments. Children with known etiologies of hearing loss (i.e., meningitis, perinatal complications, rubella, cytomegaloviral inclusion, or genetic anomalies) earned significantly lower Performance IQs and Object Assembly scores than children with unknown etiologies. Implications and future directions for the intellectual assessment of deaf and hard-of-hearing children are discussed. (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)     

Examiner observations of children's WISC—R test-related behaviors: Possible socioeconomic status, race, and gender effects.

White examiners completed test observations on 311 children between ages 7 and 14 following the administration of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R). The children differed by race (White, Black, and Mexican American), social class (middle and lower), and gender. Test observation ratings were employed to predict WISC—R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs. All 63 correlations between test observations and WISC—R IQs were statistically significant and were reasonably equivalent across gender, social class, and racial groups. Differences in regressions were statistically significant for 23 of the 36 analyses. Although gender differences were not significant, race and social class differences are significant for intercepts, but not for slopes. Thus, given children of the same IQ, White examiners generally observe higher degrees of cooperation, attention, and self-confidence among Black and Mexican American (compared to White) children and among lower-class (compared to middle-class) children. (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)     

An evaluation of the sensitivity of premorbid IQ estimators for detecting cognitive decline.

Twenty-two studies were reviewed that estimated Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS/WAIS—R; D. Wechsler, 1981) IQs for normal individuals using demographic regression equation estimators and/or ability estimators such as the National Adult Reading Test. None of these studies originally reported the sensitivity of their method for detecting cognitive decline. The potential utility of each method was quantified by using psychometric theory to calculate the magnitude of cognitive decline that could be reliably detected. Results showed that for a cognitive decline in WAIS-R Verbal Scale IQ (VIQ) to be detected 80% of the time, the decline would have to be at least 25 VIQ points for demographic predictor methods, and at least 20 VIQ points for reading test predictor methods. Implications of the limited sensitivity of these methods for clinical applications are discussed and interpretation recommendations are provided. (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)     

WAIS performance in young normal, young alcoholic, and elderly normal groups: an evaluation of organicity and mental aging indices

Investigated the effects of alcoholism and advanced age on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) performance and tested the validity of indices of "organicity" and "mental aging" derived from WAIS scores. The WAIS was administered to three groups of 20 males each: young normal (mean age 31 years), young alcoholic (mean age 33 years), and elderly normal (mean age 71 years. In terms of scaled scores, the young normal group was generally superior to the other groups on Verbal and Performance subtests, and the alcoholic and elderly groups resembled each other more on the Verbal than the Performance subtests. In view of an almost 40-year difference in age between the young alcoholic and the elderly normal Ss, similarities in pattern of performance provided some evidence for the hypothesis of "premature aging" in alcholics.     

Social status and abstract behavior.

"The contention that 'intelligence' tests are biased against lower-class children was investigated by testing lower- and middle-status children of similar IQs with block-sorting (abstract behavior) problems. These problems involved only 4 relatively simple concepts found to be equally familiar to the 2 groups. It was hypothesized that lower-status subjects are actually brighter than their IQs indicate, and that their performance on the blocksorting problems would be superior to that of middle-status Ss of similar IQ. The hypothesis was not confirmed; middle-status Ss were significantly superior to lower-status Ss." (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)     

Comparison of the WISC and WAIS at chronological age sixteen.

A group of 30 Ss was tested with the WISC and 4 wk. later with the WAIS. During this interval they all passed their 16th birthdays. Since chronological age is constant, correlations were calculated for the various IQ scales of the 2 tests and indicated that IQs obtained at age 16 from the 2 scales are highly comparable. The mean IQs and standard deviations of the experimental groups were not significantly different from the mean IQs and standard deviations of the standardization groups. In the case of the Full Scale IQ, differences in individual Ss ranged from -11 to +13 points with a mean at +2.4 points (WAIS -WISC). In general, the results indicate that the transition from the WISC to the WAIS at age 16 introduces no significant errors in IQ determination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)