Factor analysis of the WISC-R for a group of mentally retarded children and adolescents.

Administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R) to 80 retarded youngsters ranging in CA from 6 to 16 yrs. Scaled scores on the 12 tests were correlated, and the matrix was subjected to several factor-analytic techniques. The 3 factors identified for normal children in a previous study of the WISC--R (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility) also emerged for the retardates, although some differences were observed in the distractibility factor. The WISC--R factor structure for retardates was also similar to the structure of the 1949 WISC that was identified for several groups of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized retardates. Results of the studies involving the 1949 WISC are reviewed critically to help understand the implications of the present findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)