The WISC-R and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement: correlations for exceptional children

The present study concerns correlations of scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement with those on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R). Correlations between WISC--R Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQ and the Reading Aptitude Cluster, the Mathematics Aptitude Cluster, and the Written Language Aptitude Cluster of the Woodcock-Johnson were expected to be high and support the contention that conventional measures of ability do predict achievement for children. Results confirm the hypothesis. The Verbal IQ was the best one-variable predictor of each aptitude cluster, with R s ranging from .32 to .78.     

Diagnosing written language disabilities using the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Educational Achievement-Revised and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

The writing portions of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Educational Achievement-Revised and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test are often administered when establishing eligibility for special education services due to learning disabilities. The scores on these measures are typically regarded as equivalent although little is known about how scores on the two measures differ for the same students. Differences of only a few points, however, may affect eligibility for special education services. These tests were administered to 25 sixth grade students previously diagnosed with learning disabilities in written expression only. Students' Wechsler scores were consistently higher on the overall writing composite, while there was no difference in the mean scores on the language mechanics subtests. The WIAT Written Expression subtest mean, however, was significantly higher than the Woodcock-Johnson Writing Samples subtest mean. Use of the Wechsler test would be less likely to identify children for special education services in written expression when point discrepancy criteria are utilized for eligibility. Clinicians should be cognizant of the effect of the specific test chosen on eligibility outcome.     

Psychometric properties of the OCI-R in a college sample

Two studies examined the psychometric properties of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R; Psychol. Assessment 14 (2002) 485) in a nonclinical student sample. In Study 1, we investigated the factor structure and internal consistency of the OCI-R using a sample of 395 undergraduate students. At a second testing session 1 month later, 178 students completed the OCI-R. Test-retest reliability was examined using data from 94 students who completed the OCI-R in both sessions. Convergent validity was also assessed with the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). In Study 2, we further investigated the convergent and divergent validity of the OCI-R using a new sample of 221 students who completed a battery of measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, worry, and depression. There was a significant order effect for both the OCI-R and the MOCI: means of each measure were significantly lower when presented second. Despite the order effect, statistical analyses indicated that the OCI-R has adequate test-retest reliability for the full scale and subscale scores, solid factor structure, and high internal consistency. Convergent validity with other measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was moderate to excellent, and divergent validity was good. The results indicate that the OCI-R is a short, psychometrically sound self-report measure of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.     

Self-mutilation and coping strategies in a college sample

The goal of this study was to examine the use of specific coping strategies among self-mutilating college students. The self-mutilating group (n = 44) reported utilizing avoidance strategies more often than did a control group (n = 44) matched for general psychological distress but with no history of self-mutilation. In addition, female, but not male, self-mutilators endorsed using problem-solving and social support seeking strategies less often than nonmutilators. These findings suggest that coping strategies in general and avoidance-based strategies in particular may be important targets for the treatment of self-mutilative behaviors.     

Relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment in a college sample

Although the understanding of aggression has been significantly advanced through the study of relational aggression, past research has been limited by its predominant focus on children. This study examines the associations between relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment in a sample of young adults. A peer-nomination instrument was constructed to assess relational aggression, and self-reports of adjustment were obtained from 225 college students (45% male; mean age = 19.5). Regression analyses showed that relational aggression provided unique information, after controlling for age and gender, about peer rejection, prosocial behavior, antisocial personality features, and borderline personality features. Interactions with gender further showed that, for women, relational aggression was linked with bulimic symptoms. The importance of relational aggression for understanding adjustment problems during young adulthood are discussed.     

Relation of religiosity with academic dishonesty in a sample of college students

This study was conducted to estimate the relationship between academic dishonesty and religiosity in a convenient sample of college students. Scores on the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire and the Academic Practices Survey were correlated for 70 undergraduate students. Overall, religiosity and academic dishonesty were not significantly related. However, follow-up analyses by sex indicated that this association was significant for women but not men. Research should be conducted to investigate whether this pattern is robust and indicates a differing role for religiosity as a standard for appropriate or inappropriate behavior.     

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.     

Corporal punishment experiences and attitudes in a sample of college students

This article describes an analysis of an exploratory survey administered to a sample of 123 college students. The purpose was twofold. First, the respondents' experiences with spanking in childhood are described. Second, factors that led respondents to perceive their childhood spankings as beneficial or not beneficial are examined.     

Neuropsychological correlates of self-reported impulsive aggression in a college sample

The present study examined the neuropsychological correlates of impulsive aggression/violence using a population which is considered to be functioning ‘normally’ by societal standards, college students. Subjects were 12 college students classified as impulsive aggressive by self-report and 12 nonaggressive matched controls. All impulsive aggressive subjects reported a lifetime history of physical aggressive outbursts. The neuropsychological findings suggest that impulsive aggressives share a pathological focus involving specific executive control processes: impulse control and verbal strategic processing. These findings are consistent with the neuropsychological and psychophysiological findings in impulsive aggressive incarcerated criminals and support the notion of a specific behavioral syndrome associated with spontaneous aggressive outbursts.     

High risk behaviors in a sample of Mexican-American college students

This study explored different types of high risk behaviors of Mexican-American college students attending a small university in south Texas. High risk behaviors for contracting HIV/AIDS examined in this study included unprotected sex, drug use, and alcohol abuse. In 1995 in the United States, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in people between the ages of 25 and 44. Because use of alcohol and certain recreational drugs lowers inhibitions, their use could increase the possibility of having unprotected and unplanned sex with multiple partners. Thus, it was expected that Mexican-American college students who use drugs and alcohol would be more likely to engage in unprotected sex. Data were from 105 men and 211 women between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Drug use and alcohol abuse were significantly associated with high risk sexual behavior. Individuals in monogamous relationships were more likely to not use condoms than those involved in casual relationships. Self-reported religiosity was not correlated with high risk behaviors, although there were implications that stronger religious affiliation did alter sexual beliefs and practices. Lastly, parental communication was not significantly associated with high risk behaviors, but family unity did seem related to some risky sexual practices.     

Cognitive and affective components of empathy and their relationship with personality dimensions in a Chinese sample

Empathy is an essential component of social interactions and may be related to personality characteristics. However, this issue has not been extensively examined in a Chinese sample. Students at six universities in China (N = 257) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire‐Revised (EPQ‐R), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21). Using multiple regression analyses, and after accounting for demographic variables (sex and age), it was found that the affective empathy component Personal Distress positively predicted EPQ‐R Neuroticism scores (β = .49), negatively predicted Extraversion (β = –.21) and Lie scale scores (β = –.22), and positively predicted DASS‐21 Depression (β = .26), Anxiety (β = .34) and Stress scores (β = .39). Empathic Concern positively predicted Lie Scale scores (β = .21), and negatively predicted Psychoticism scores (β = –.24). Individuals with high scores in Empathic Concern were also found to score more highly on Fantasy, Personal Distress, Neuroticism, Stress and Anxiety. Thus, more empathic individuals are likely to experience elevations in negative affectivity when they perceive the emotional suffering of others.     

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.     

Performance of Dyslexic Children on Cerebellar and Cognitive Tests

In a previous study (A. J. Fawcett, R. I. Nicolson, & P. Dean, 1996), the authors had found strong behavioral evidence for cerebellar deficit in a panel of children with dyslexia. In the present study, the generality of those results was assessed. A battery of clinical tests for cerebellar dysfunction was administered, together with selected cognitive tests, to a further 59 dyslexic and 67 control children. The dyslexic children showed highly significant impairments on the cerebellar tests, with deficits on postural stability and muscle tone comparable in magnitude with their reading and spelling deficits. Furthermore, over 95&percent; of the dyslexic children showed clear evidence of deficit on muscle tone or stability. The findings provide further evidence of the generality of cerebellar impairment in dyslexia. The implications of the cerebellar tests for screening in dyslexia are discussed.     

Performance of Dyslexic Children on Cerebellar and Cognitive Tests

In a previous study (A. J. Fawcett, R. I. Nicolson, & P. Dean, 1996), the authors had found strong behavioral evidence for cerebellar deficit in a panel of children with dyslexia. In the present study, the generality of those results was assessed. A battery of clinical tests for cerebellar dysfunction was administered, together with selected cognitive tests, to a further 59 dyslexic and 67 control children. The dyslexic children showed highly significant impairments on the cerebellar tests, with deficits on postural stability and muscle tone comparable in magnitude with their reading and spelling deficits. Furthermore, over 95% of the dyslexic children showed clear evidence of deficit on muscle tone or stability. The findings provide further evidence of the generality of cerebellar impairment in dyslexia. The implications of the cerebellar tests for screening in dyslexia are discussed.     

Exposure to community violence and trauma symptoms in late adolescence: comparison of a college sample and a noncollege community sample

This paper presents a comparison for two samples (college and noncollege) of older, urban African-American adolescents of correlations between two measures of exposure to community violence (victim and witness) and four types of psychological trauma symptoms (anger, anxiety, depression, and dissociation). The central issue is the generalizability of previous findings about these relationships obtained from beginning college students of traditional age. The two samples did not differ in the magnitude of either the zero-order correlations or the multiple correlations between the two types of exposure to community violence and the four types of symptoms of trauma. The conclusion is that findings regarding the relationship of exposure to community violence with psychological symptoms of trauma obtained from college students may tentatively be generalized to older adolescents who are not in college.     

Relationship of dysfunctional sport fandom with dislike for rivals in a sample of college students

The relationships among sport-fandom dysfunctionality (tendencies toward complaining and confrontation as assessed via the Dysfunctional Sport Fandom Scale) and items assessing team identification (assessed via the Sport Spectator Identification Scale) were examined with 87 college students (24 men, 63 women, M age=20.2 yr.). Although positive associations of dysfunction and identification were found, contrary to expectations, the relationship between dysfunction and dislike for rivals was not particularly strong.     

Rorschach measures of aggressive drive derivatives: a college student sample

This study investigated measures of aggressive drive derivatives on the Rorschach and Personality Assessment Inventory with 70 college students. As predicted, (a) self-reported physical aggression potential was related to Rorschach measures of identification with the aggressor and aggressive impulses, (b) suicidal ideation with impulsivity was related to a Rorschach measure of aggressive impulses turned toward the self, and (c) the borderline features scale was related to a Rorschach pathological object relations measure. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that a Rorschach measure of emotional impulsivity added unique variance to these Rorschach aggression variables in predicting self-reported physical aggression potential, suicidal ideation with impulsivity, and borderline features. Finally, caution is advised in applying our findings when there is motivation to suppress aggressive responses