Comparison of the WISC-R and Woodcock-Johnson tests of cognitive ability

The relationship between the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised (WISC-R) was investigated in a referral sample of 52 elementary aged students. The WJTCA and WISC-R provided comparable ability estimates as reflected by a .74 correlation between the respective Full Scale scores and no significant (.05 level) mean difference (WJTCA Broad Cognitive Ability mean = 97.1, WISC-R Full Scale mean = 96.8). The comparability of the WJTCA/WISC-R global ability estimates is contrary to lower WJTCA scores found in recent studies with learning disabled students, with the current findings supporting the criticism of those studies as advanced by the author of the WJTCA.     

Comparison of PPVT-R and WISC-R in a mild/moderate handicapped sample

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Form L was compared with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised with a sample of 32 mild/moderate handicapped students (24 boys, 8 girls). Significant correlations were found between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ (.46) and the WISC-R Verbal IQ (.50) and the PPVT-R, but no significant correlation was found between the WISC-R Performance IQ and the PPVT-R (.34). Mean scores on the PPVT-R and WISC-R were significantly different.     

Report on Shanghai norms for the Chinese translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised

The Chinese translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-RC) was administered to 660 children (ages 6 through 16 yr.) in the city of Shanghai. The obtained norms represent children's intelligence levels in big cities where the economic and cultural development is advanced. The norms are reported as "Scaled Score Equivalents of Raw Scores" for each age group and as "IQ Equivalents of Sums of Scaled Scores." The reliability and validity of the norms indicate that the WISC-R is suitable for use with school-age children in China. The difference between the results for our Shanghai sample (WISC-RCs) and a USA sample (WISC-R) is also discussed.     

Relationship of scores on PPVT-R and WISC-R with special education children and youth

Comparisons of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised were made with 104 children diagnosed as learning disabled and mentally retarded. Significant but modest correlations were found between all but one of the WISC-R scaled scores (i.e., Coding) and PPVT-R standard scores, and between WISC-R IQs and PPVT-R standard scores. Significant differences were found among mean Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs and mean PPVT-R standard scores. The PPVT-R standard scores underestimated WISC-R Verbal IQs by 7 points, WISC-R Performance IQs by 17 points, and WISC-R Full Scale IQs by 11 points.     

Comparison of the Token Test of Language Development and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised

Correlations were calculated between the Token Test of Language Development (Token) and scores of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-R) based on responses from 38 Caucasian children (23 boys and 15 girls) of a semi-rural Northeastern Ohio school district. The relatively low Pearson correlations (.25 to .47) between the standard scores in the Token test and WISC-R IQs are discussed in relation to ability and achievement.     

Three-year stability of WISC-R factor scores for black and white, female and male children classified as learning-disabled

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) test and retest scores for a homogeneous sample (N=322) of approximately equal numbers of black and white, female and male learning-disabled children were compared over 3 years for factor structure and factor structure stability. These analyses were also conducted with a subsample (N=229) of the total sample for whom Digit Span scores were available. The socioeconomic status of children in the sample was determined by parents' occupation. The results suggested that WISC-R factor structure was stable over 3 years. Two-and three-factor solutions were found for the total group; three factors were found when Digit Span was included in the analysis. Coefficients of congruence indicated factorial similarity between groups of black and white, female and male children classified as learning-disabled.     

A multivariate comparison of the intellectual performance of black and white children matched on four demographic variables

This study investigated the performance of 285 matched pairs of Black and White children from the standardization sample on the 12 subtests and 3 IQ scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R). The children were matched on four demographic variables found in a previous (Reynolds and Gutkin, 1979) study to be significantly related to WISC-R performance: sex, socioeconomic status as determined by the occupation of the head of household, region of residence in the U.S. and urban vs rural residence. Multivariate analysis of variance comparing performance across race on the 15 dependent variables revealed that Whites exceeded Blacks on all tasks except Digit Span—a test of rote memory. Results were also related to the evaluation of the Spearman hypothesis.     

Concurrent and predictive validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children with a Navajo sample

The aim of this investigation was to examine the mean scores and predictive validity coefficients obtained from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT). The K-ABC and the WISC-R were administered 1 week apart in counterbalanced order to 35 Navajo children aged 6–12$\text{1}\text{2}$ years (mean 8–9 years), followed 10$\text{1}\text{2}$ months later by administration of the PIAT. The K-ABC yielded an overall mean of 95.0, which is significantly higher than the WISC-R Full Scale IQ mean of 86.9. All WISC-R and K-ABC global scores correlated significantly except the WISC-R Verbal and K-ABC Nonverbal scales. The WISC-R Verbal and Full Scale IQs and all five K-ABC scales correlated significantly with the PIAT Total Test standard scores. However, the K-ABC Achievement scale correlated significantly higher with the PIAT Total Test than with the WISC-R Verbal and Full Scale IQs. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

A regression analysis of test bias on the WISC-R for Anglos and Chicanos referred for psychological services

Predictive validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was investigated across race for 174 Chicano and 94 Anglo children referred for psychological services. Regression lines for the prediction of achievement were compared across race through the Potthoff analysis, which provides a simultaneous test of slope and intercept values. Results of these comparisons generally supported the predictive validity of the WISC-R across race with this referral sample of young children.     

Genetic and environmental covariance structures among WISC-R subtests: A twin study

Genetic and environmental correlations among 11 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) subtests were estimated from a sample of 143 twin pairs using the methodology of multivariate behavioral genetics. The genetic correlations among subtests varied in magnitude and exhibited a pattern similar to corresponding phenotypic correlations. Correlations due to within-pair environmental influences were generally small, whereas those due to shared environmental influences tended to be intermediate. Several hypotheses regarding the structures of the additive-genetic, common environmental, and within-pair environmental covariance matrices were tested and evidence for differential factor structures was obtained. A model hypothesizing a three-factor structure for the genetic covariance matrix, a single factor for the common environmental matrix, and a single factor plus specifics for the within-pair environmental matrix fit the data well. Thus, the three-factor phenotypic structure typically observed in Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) data may be due largely to genetic influences.     

Concurrent validity of the Woodcock-Johnson psycho-educational battery with regular and learning-disabled students

A comparison of the WISC-R and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Educational Battery (W-J) was made for children with regular and learning-disabled (LD) class placement. The W-J and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) evidence low to moderate correlations and significant mean differences, indicating that the two tests are measuring somewhat different abilities to somewhat differing degrees. W-J—WISC-R correlations for the regular students exceed those of the LD students in the greater majority of the cases. Rank ordering of the WISC-R subtests and the W-J clusters indicate, as might be expected, that the LD students fare the worst in the WISC-R academic subtests (Arithmetic, Information and Vocabulary) and in the W-J academic clusters. More research needs to be conducted with the W-J before it should be adopted for use in the placement of exceptional children.     

Factor analysis of the WISC-R and the Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition for a referral sample

The purpose of this study was to determine if a common factor structure was evident in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition (ABS-SE) for a sample of 171 children referred for evaluation of learning and behavior problems. The WISC-R subtests (excluding Mazes) and the ABS-SE factor domain scores (Personal Self-Sufficiency, Community Self-Sufficiency, Personal-Social Responsibility, Social Adjustment, and Personal Adjustment) were subjected to an exploratory principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation. ANOVAs were conducted on each of the derived factors to determine race and sex effects. The results indicated no common factor structure in the instruments, the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Independent Functioning, Maladaptive Behavior, and Freedom From Distractibility factors being extracted. The derived factors were very similar to those identified in standardization data and other studies. Perceptual Organization and Social Adjustment showed sex and race effects, respectively, although each model accounted for only about 7% of the variance.     

Race, social class and ability patterns on the WISC-R

The national standardization sample of whites and blacks on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) was the basis for a detailed analysis of the psychometric nature of racial and social class differences on the original 13 subscales of the WISC-R. The profiles of subtest scores of whites and blacks were compared directly and also after the racial groups were statistically equated on Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). Under the latter condition, the races differ only very slightly, although significantly, on some of the subtests, in ways generally contrary to popular expectations. The profile of white-black differences on the WISC-R subtests is markedly different, and negatively correlated with, the profiles of social class differences within each racial group, indicating that the pattern of racial differences is not explainable in terms of the difference in the average socio-economic status (SES) of blacks and whites. A Schmid-Leiman orthogonalized hierarchical factor analysis yields virtually identical factor structures and highly congruent factor loadings on the subtests for whites and blacks. Analysis of factor scores shows that by far the largest proportion of the variance between races is attributable to the general factor (g) common to all the subtests, whereas the group factors (verbal, performance and memory) contribute only minutely to the interracial variance. Hence the white-black differences on the diverse subtests of the WISC-R, and in the Full Scale IQ, are interpreted primarily as a difference in Spearman's g, rather than as differences in the more specific factors peculiar to particular content, knowledge, acquired skills or type of test. However, some slight but significant differences in patterns of ability also occur that are independent of g.     

An examination for construct bias in the WISC-R across socioeconomic status

The ten subtests comprising the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children —Revised (WISC-R) were independently factor analyzed for middle and low socioeconomic status children. Two factors described the structure of the test in both cases. These two factors corresponded quite closely to the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization factors usually reported for the WISC-R. After testing for the equivalence of covariance matrices between the two socioeconomic status groups, coefficients of congruence between the factors were calculated. These coefficients indicated equivalence in the constructs being measured across the two groups.     

The Effect of Early Music Training on Child Cognitive Development

The relationship between participation in a structured music curriculum and cognitive development was studied with 71 4- through 6-year olds. Children were pre- and posttested with six subtests of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, fourth edition (SB) and the Young Child Music Skills Assessment (MSA). Approximately one half of the sample participated in a 30-week, 75-minute weekly, parent-involved music curriculum. Statistical analysis showed significant gains for participants receiving music instruction on the MSA and on the SB Bead Memory subtest. Four-order partial correlations analysis found musical treatment influence on Bead Memory scores when the participants were controlled for sex, ethnicity, parental education, and economic class. Treatment also produced higher scores on other SB measurements for select populations. This study suggests a significant correspondence between early music instruction and spatial–temporal reasoning abilities.     

Factor structure of the WISC-R with Anglos and Mexican-Americans

The present study compared the underlying factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised for Anglo and Mexican-American children. Subtests of the WISC-R were administered to 109 Anglo and 123 Mexican-American children ranging from 8 to 15 years of age and were analyzed separately for each group. Three factors emerged for each ethnic classification which corresponded closely to those usually reported for the WISC-R. Coefficients of congruence (.84–.89) between factors given the same name for each ethnic group indicated a high degree of similarity in constructs being measured.     

Components of IQ Scores Across Levels of Measured Ability

Forty-three (43) students from the Talent Identification Program's Summer Residential Program living in North Carolina took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R; Wechsler, 1974) during the program. The test was also administered to 50 other North Carolina Students who qualified for the SRP but did not attend, as well as 34 students who had not been identified as gifted. The scores were evaluated for normative and idiographic strengths and weaknesses on the 12 subtests of the WISC-R. The idiographic differences were calculated by comparison against the average score of only the 6 subtests in the same subscale of the test (Verbal or Performance) as well as against all 12 subtests on the test. It was found by means of the former comparisons that the gifted students showed significantly more idiographic strengths on the Verbal scales and weaknesses on the Performance scales than the academically competent sample.     

Clinical utility of the WISC-R and the French Pictorial Test of Intelligence with native American primary grade children

Cultural bias and the clinical utility of the WISC-R and French Pictorial Test of Intelligence were evaluated using scores of 22 male and 22 female Navajo primary grade children. There were no significant differences in performance on either test according to sex. As expected, the Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ of the WISC-R and the Deviation IQ of the French provided significantly depressed estimates of ability. A prorated Performance IQ might be the least depressed measure of potential among these children.     

The factorial similarity of the WISC-R performance Scale in deaf and hearing samples

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) Performance Scale metrics and subtest factor loadings, derived separately from deaf (N = 1228) and hearing (N = 2200) samples, are practically identical. Small mean differences are probably attributable to the higher incidence of brain damage among deaf children. In addition to demonstrating the absence of construct bias in WISC-R Performance IQ (PIQ) measurement for deaf children, the results contradict theories which propose linguistic bias as the cause of the white-black difference in Performance IQ. Spearman's hypothesis that white-black mental test differences are primarily a difference in g received significant support. The results indicate that cognition, as measured by PIQ, is virtually independent of language acquisition.     

Comparison of black-white differences on the WISC-R and the K-ABC: Spearman's hypothesis

The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revise (WISC-R) are compared with respect to the magnitudes of the average white-black differences in standardized scaled scores and in raw scores. The two test batteries were administered to a sample of 172 fourth- and fifth-grade children comprising 86 black-white pairs matched on age, sex, school, and socioeconomic status. The K-ABC and WISC-R are highly correlated, and the general factor, or g, of one battery is virtually identical to the g of the other. The high positive correlation between the size of the white-black difference on the various subtests of both batteries and the subtests' loadings on the g factor bears out Spearman's hypothesis that a test's white-black dicriminability is a direct function of the test's g loading. The lesser white-black discriminability of the K-ABC relative to the WISC-R is attributable to (1) the smaller g loadings of the K-ABC subsets and (2) the presence of other factors, particularly sequential short-term memory which, to some degree, offsets the white-black difference in g.