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)