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)     

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)     

Verbal IQ–performance IQ discrepancies on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised in patients with unilateral or bilateral cerebral dysfunction.

Administered the WAIS-R to 89 patients (mean age 42 yrs) with neurodiagnostically confirmed unilateral or bilateral cerebral disease. Similar to findings with previous editions of these tests, Ss with left-hemisphere disease obtained significantly lower Verbal IQ (VIQ) than Performance IQ (PIQ), and Ss with right or bilateral disease obtained lower PIQ than VIQ. It is cautioned that these VIQ–PIQ discrepancies in isolation are ineffective indexes of cerebral dysfunction and that patterns of performance must be viewed in the context of a complete neuropsychological examination and relevant medical and educational historical data. (5 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)     

Verbal-performance IQ discrepancies on the WISC-R.

Examined discrepancy scores (Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ) for the WISC-R, using the standardization sample--100 boys and 100 girls at each of 11 age levels between 61/2 and 161/2 yrs (2,200 Ss). The occurrence of significant discrepancy scores (Verbal > Performance and Performance > Verbal) was not significantly related to age, sex, or race, although significant relationships were obtained with both parental occupation and intelligence level. The mean absolute discrepancy score (regardless of sign) was about 10 IQ points for each age group, for boys and girls, for Blacks and Whites, and for the different occupational groups. Discrepancy score norms (cumulative distributions) are presented by intelligence level and are interpreted in terms of their clinical significance. Several of these findings closely parallel results of a study of the 1949 WISC by H. G. Seashore (see record 1952-06292-001). (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)     

A reanalysis of gender differences in IQ scores following unilateral brain lesions.

Meta-analyses of gender differences in the consequences of unilateral brain lesions have reported a positive correlation between the percentage of men in studies and the magnitude of the difference between Verbal (V) and Performance (P) IQ. Such findings are limited by both the indirectness of the methodology and the focus on V–P differences rather than on the separate effects of brain lesions on VIQ and PIQ. A repeated-measures analysis was conducted of studies that reported separate VIQ and PIQ means for men and women with unilateral lesions. Women showed lower IQ scores following lesions to the hemisphere thought to be nondominant for each function. (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)     

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale discrepancy index: A neuropsychological evaluation.

Traditionally, the discrepancy between the WAIS Verbal IQ and Performance IQ has been used in clinical practice as an indicator of both brain damage and lesion lateralization. The present study investigated the relationship between this discrepancy index and brain damage, lesion lateralization, type of brain damage (acute vs chronic), Full Scale IQ, and gender. The WAIS was administered to 5 groups of a total of 335 Ss: left, right, diffuse, and nonspecific brain-damaged groups, and psychiatric controls (mean ages 33.97, 41.76, 43.35, 35.66, and 40.17 yrs, respectively). No relationship was found between this index and any of the preceding categories with the exception of Full Scale IQ. Caution is suggested in the use of the discrepancy index as a diagnostic indicator of brain damage and/or lesion lateralization. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age at first onset for nonbipolar depression.

Examined the onset age distribution for first episodes of unipolar depression for men and women using 2,046 Ss (aged 18–88 yrs) selected for a diagnostic interview on the basis of elevated scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Of those Ss interviewed, 1,012 were diagnosed as having suffered from a previous episode of depression. The Life Table method (S. Anderson et al [1980]; J. D. Kalbfeisch and R. L. Prentice [1980]) was used to describe the risks associated with different ages for developing an initial episode of depression. The results indicate that the hazard rates are very low through age 14 yrs, increase during adolescence (15–29 yrs) and young adulthood (20–24 yrs), peak between 45 and 55 yrs, and then decrease with increasing age, becoming zero at 80 yrs or older. The hazard rates for men and women differed, with women between the ages of 9 and 69 yrs having higher hazard rates than men between the same ages. The average age at onset for first episodes of depression for men and women did not differ. (53 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)     

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)     

Left hemisphere dysfunction and left hemisphere overactivation in schizophrenia.

Reports 2 experiments relating schizophrenia to functional brain asymmetry. In Exp I, 24 schizophrenics (mean age, 30.8 yrs) were compared to 24 matched controls (mean age, 37.3 yrs) on 2 tachistoscopic tasks (Syllable Test and Dot Location Test) designed to measure verbal and spatial information processing in the 2 hemispheres. Unlike the controls, the schizophrenics showed a right hemisphere superiority both on the verbal and on the spatial tests, indicating left hemisphere dysfunction in the initial processing of verbal information. In Exp II, lateral eye movements, as an index of contralateral hemispheric activation, were measured in a group of 24 paranoid schizophrenics (mean age, 28.9 yrs), 24 nonparanoid schizophrenics (mean age, 32.7 yrs), and 24 matched controls (mean age, 31.2 yrs). The eye movements were elicited by presenting the Ss with verbal neutral, verbal emotional, spatial neutral, and spatial emotional questions. The schizophrenics had significantly more rightward eye movement, compared to controls, regardless of question type, indicating left hemisphere overactivation. Results suggest that schizophrenia is associated with a pattern consisting of both left hemisphere dysfunction and overactivation. (63 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A cross-validation of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

30 brain-damaged males with evidence of unilateral left-hemisphere (mean age 58 yrs), unilateral right-hemisphere (mean age 57 yrs), or bilateral-diffuse brain lesions (mean age 41 yrs), as well as 10 normal control Ss (mean age 54 yrs), were administered the standardized Luria-Nebraska test battery. Data demonstrate that the battery was effective in discriminating brain-damaged from normal control Ss. However, it was relatively ineffective in distinguishing the laterality of brain damage. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in cerebral organization for speech and praxic functions.

A retrospective study on incidence of aphasia and apraxia was done on 143 male (mean age 50.4 yrs) and 73 female (mean age 45.7 yrs) right-handed patients with unilateral lesions of the left cerebral hemisphere and on a subgroup of 81 patients with damage restricted to anterior or posterior regions. Aphasia was proportionally more frequent in males than in females, but this difference was significant only in the larger sample. Moreover, the pattern of speech representation differed between the sexes: Speech disorders and manual apraxia occurred in females more often from damage to the anterior part of the left hemisphere than from posterior damage. This was not true for males. In the 169 Ss with unilateral right-hemisphere damage, the incidence of aphasia was extremely low and did not differentiate the sexes. It is concluded that there are sex differences in the organization of speech and praxis within the left hemisphere and that speech is not simply more bilaterally organized in females than males. (French abstract) (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defective interhemispheric transfer in schizophrenia.

Groups of schizophrenics, nurses, and psychiatric controls were trained to perform a manual shape discrimination task. The 20 schizophrenics included 17 outpatients and 3 short-term inpatients: 10 males (mean age 36 yrs) and 10 females (mean age 37.6 yrs). Nurse control Ss were 10 male (mean age 26.3 yrs) and 10 female (mean age 22 yrs) psychiatric nurses or student nurses. Psychiatric control Ss were 8 males (mean age 36.1 yrs) and 10 females (mean age 32.6 yrs). On both of the tasks included in the experiment, the schizophrenic group, but not the control groups, displayed defective intermanual transfer. The performances of the schizophrenics resembled those previously obtained with split-brain monkeys on similar tasks; therefore, it is concluded that the schizophrenics tested suffered from incomplete transfer of stereognostic shape information from 1 cerebral hemisphere to the other. Experiments suggesting poor interhemispheric transfer on auditory tasks in schizophrenics are discussed along with the possibility that certain schizophrenic symptoms are related to defective interhemispheric communication. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Les représentations de catégories sémantiques dans le vieillissement.

Examined to what extent young and elderly populations agreed in their representation of semantic categories. 90 elderly (77 women, 13 men, mean age 71.8 yrs) and 90 young (74 women, 16 men, mean age 27.3 yrs) Ss wrote down the first 4 associations evoked by each of 30 semantic categories. Chi-square tests of association revealed that elderly and young Ss differed in their representation of most of the categories. As such, the norms generated by the data may be useful in future research in cognitive growth and regression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WAIS—R factor structure in psychiatric and general medical patients.

Examined the factor structure of the WAIS—R in a sample of 200 general medical (GM) patients and 271 psychiatric patients. The mean age of the Ss was 38.9 yrs. Results of 2- and 3-factor principal factor solutions with varimax rotations were compared to the factor structure of the WAIS—R normative sample (n?=?1,880) and a sample of vocational counseling patients (n?=?84), as well as an additional sample of psychiatric patients (n?=?114). Across all of these samples, coefficients of congruence for the 1st 2 factors (Verbal, Performance) were .97 or greater, and coefficients of congruence for the 3rd factor (Freedom From Distractability) ranged from .93 to .97. Results indicate that the WAIS—R has a robust factor structure and provides empirical evidence for the existence of Verbal, Performance, and Freedom From Distractability factors on the WAIS—R in psychiatric and medical populations. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age, gender, and individual differences in memory failure appraisal.

Young adults (22 men and 24 women) and older adults (24 men and 24 women) rated 12 gender-neutral vignettes describing short-term, long-term, and very-long-term memory failures. Vignette target persons were young (aged 21–32 yrs) or older (aged 65–75 yrs) men or women. Ss of both age and gender groups used a double standard: Failures of older targets of both genders were rated as signifying greater mental difficulty than failures of young targets; failures of young targets were attributed to lack of effort and attention. Young Ss judged very-long-term failures more harshly than did older Ss. Ss' objective memory performance, self-rated memory failure frequency, memory failure discomfort, and depression made little difference in their target person ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)