Stability of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--revised for emotionally handicapped middle-school-age children

In this pilot study, 20 middle-school-age children classified as emotionally handicapped were administered Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised in test-retest fashion. Pearson correlations for Form L were .90, for Form M, .69, and these dependent correlations were significantly different from each other. As triennial school psychological evaluations typically contain tests which have been administered previously, e.g., WISC-R, WRAT-R, we suggest that psychologists use caution when using Form M to test or retest the receptive vocabulary of emotionally handicapped or disturbed middle-school-age children.     

Computer administration of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test to young children

Computer-controlled administration of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test to children between the ages of 4 and 13 years was shown to be feasible without the presence of a live examiner. Test-retest correlation coefficients were obtained in the range from .54 to .74 and were not significantly different from those obtained with manual administration in the PPVT standardization sample. Practice effects and IQ differences between the two forms of the test were nonsignificant.     

Equivalence of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised, forms L and M for children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to assess the equivalence of Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised for a sample of 15 Hispanic and 12 black children diagnosed as having Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The children (15 boys, 12 girls) were administered PPVT-R Forms L and M in counterbalanced order and in immediate succession. The coefficient of equivalence, r, was .77 and significant. Influential factors, such as the behavioral manifestations of AIDS, are discussed. Limitations of the study are included. Research should focus on the long- and short-term stability of the test for these children as they are evaluated repetitively.     

Correlation of scores of maximum security inmates on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised

29 men (15 white, 14 black) who were inmates at a maximum security penitentiary were given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised on which the full scale IQs correlated .80. This suggests the Peabody would serve as an effective screening test for this population.     

Concurrent validity of the Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence and the Kaufman brief intelligence test among psychiatric inpatients

This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test for 85 psychiatric inpatients. The correlation between the WASI Full Scale and K-BIT Composite IQ scores was significant (r = .89, p < .001). Multitrait-multimethod analysis of the subtest scores showed that the K-BIT had higher internal consistency for its two subtests but, therefore, less differentiation of cognitive functioning than the brief Wechsler scale, as would be expected due to the larger number and diversity of the latter subtests. Correlations among the Wechsler scale subtests were lower than among those for the K-BIT, so the former may tap different cognitive functions and yield more clinically useful information than the latter. This brief Wechsler scale appears to be a valid screening measure of verbal, performance. and general intellectual ability for use with an inpatient psychiatric population when considerations of the setting or patient preclude administration of a longer measure of intellectual ability.     

Evaluation of the validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition comprehension and picture arrangement subtests as measures of social intelligence

Clinical lore suggests that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Third Edition (D. M. Wechsler, 1991) Comprehension and Picture Arrangement scores may be used as indices of social intelligence. This study evaluated this supposition by comparing these subtest scores with mother- and teacher-reported social functioning in 142 children with ADHD and 30 control children. After general intelligence was partialled out, the Comprehension subtest related to some aspects of social functioning, but the clinical significance of this was limited. The Picture Arrangement subtest was unrelated to social functioning, once general intelligence was controlled. These findings were consistent across study groups.     

Consistency of the factorial validity of the WISC-R for upper and lower SES groups

The WISC-R was factor analyzed for both upper and lower SES classifications from the standardization sample. Both two- and three-factor solutions were extracted, and these solutions generally parallel other previously reported two- and three-factor WISC-R solutions. The stability of these factors was then examined by calculating coefficients of congruence and salient variable similarity indices between matched factor pairs from the two SES groups. The three-factor solution was the most appropriate for both groups, though the two-factor solution was equally plausible. The WISC-R factor structure appears to be invariant with regard to SES.     

Reliability and construct validity of the psychopathy checklist - revised for Latino, European American, and African American male inmates

The utility of the psychopathy construct in predicting laboratory deficits, criminal behavior, response to intervention, and recidivism has been well documented in European American populations. However, less is known about the manifestation and correlates of psychopathy in Latino and African American populations. The present study examined the reliability and construct validity of the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 2003) in 83 Latino inmates compared with matched samples of African Americans and European Americans. Results provide preliminary evidence that the PCL-R provides a reliable and valid measure of psychopathy in Latinos, with generally similar patterns emerging across external correlates; however, some ethnic group differences were noted for relationships between psychopathy indicators and some external correlates.     

Social risk and protective factors for African American children's academic achievement and adjustment during the transition to middle school

The transition to middle school is often marked by decreased academic achievement and increased emotional stress, and African American children exposed to social risk may be especially vulnerable during this transition. To identify mediators and protective factors, the authors related severity and timing of risk exposure to academic achievement and adjustment between 4th and 6th grade in 74 African American children. Longitudinal analyses indicated that severity more than timing of risk exposure was negatively related to all outcomes and that language skills mediated the pathway from risk for most outcomes. Transition to middle school was related to lower math scores and to more externalizing problems when children experienced higher levels of social risk. Language skills and parenting served as protective factors, whereas expectations of racial discrimination was a vulnerability factor. Results imply that promoting parenting and, especially, language skills, and decreasing expectations of racial discrimination provide pathways to academic success for African American children during the transition from elementary to middle school, especially those exposed to adversity.     

Relationships Between Scores on the General Purpose Abbreviated Battery of Stanford-Binet IV,Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised,Columbia Mental Maturity Scale,and Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test

This study investigated the correlations among the “General Purpose Abbreviated Battery” of the Stanford-Binet IV: Fourth Edition, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale, and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test. A third-grade class of 23 children (11 boys, 12 girls) took all four of the tests, and the intercorrelations of the total scores of the four tests were calculated. The Binet IV and Peabody correlation was statistically significant (p < .01) as was the correlation between Binet IV and Columbia (p < .05). The correlation between Binet IV and Goodenough-Harris was not statistically significant (p > .05).

     

Number of books at home as an indicator of socioeconomic status: Examining its extensions and their incremental validity for academic achievement

Social Psychology of Education - The present study investigates the incremental validity of the traditional books-at-home measure and selected extensions (i.e., number of children’s books and...     

The academic achievement of African American students during early adolescence: an examination of multiple risk,promotive, and protective factors

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, number of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n = 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as significant contributors depending on the nature of the achievement-related outcome that was being assessed. Third, protective factors were identified whose effects were magnified in the presence of multiple risks. Results were discussed in light of the developmental tasks facing adolescents and the contexts in which youth exposed to multiple risks and their families live.     

Theoretical and statistical derivation of a screener for the behavioral assessment of executive functions in children

The problem of valid measurement of psychological constructs remains an impediment to scientific progress, and the measurement of executive functions is not an exception. This study examined the statistical and theoretical derivation of a behavioral screener for the estimation of executive functions in children from the well-established Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). The original national standardization sample of the BASC-Teacher Rating Scales for children ages 6 through 11 was used (N = 2,165). Moderate-to-high internal consistency was obtained within each factor (.80-.89). A panel of experts was used for content validity examination. A confirmatory factor analysis model with 25 items loading on 4 latent factors (behavioral control, emotional control, attentional control, and problem solving) was developed, and its statistical properties were examined. The multidimensional model demonstrated adequate fit, and it was deemed invariant after configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance tests across sex and age. Given its strong psychometric properties, with further tests of item validity, this instrument promises future clinical and research utility for the screening of executive functions in school-age children.     

Exposure to community violence and social support as predictors of anxiety and social and emotional behavior among African American children

We examined the effects of exposure to violence and social support on self-reported state and trait anxiety and parental rated problem behaviors among school-aged African-American children in low and high violence areas. Ninety-seven (97) fourth through sixth graders and their parents were interviewed about exposure to community violence, social support, and state and trait anxiety. Results indicate that trait anxiety was correlated positively with exposure to violence and negatively with social support. State anxiety was correlated negatively with family social support. Problem behaviors were correlated negatively with family support and income. Hierarchial multiple regression analyses indicated that children's reports of their exposure to community violence continued to explain significant variability in trait anxiety, and problem behavior after controlling for both income and social support measures. Social support from peers, family and teachers played differential roles in predicting problem behaviors among children from high and lower violence areas. These findings suggest that in planning intervention programs for children exposed to violence, greater attention to empowering parents to support their children, to fostering peer group support, and to bolstering teacher support may be useful, but attention to the underlying socio-political causes of violence exposure is essential.