Outline

• David Wechsler – some history

• Wechsler’s Scales
• IQ scores
• Index scores
• Verbal subtests
• Performance subtests
• WAIS Psychometrics
 David Wechsler (1896 – 1981)
• Studied at Columbia
University (M.A., 1917;
Ph.D., 1925)
• Went to France with US
Army in 1919, then to
London
• Studied with Pearson &
Spearman
• Also with Anna Freud in
Vienna
 David Wechsler
• Worked at NY’s Bellevue Hospital.
• Unhappy with the Stanford-Binet
– Content appropriate only for children
– Rapport problems if used with adults
– Produces only a single score
– Norms not appropriate for adults
– Binet’s emphasis on speed hurt older adults’ scores
 Wechsler Scales
• 1939: the Wechsler-Bellevue, later called the WAIS.
• 1945: the Wechsler Memory Scale
• 1949: the children’s version, the WISC
• 1955: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• 1967: the WPPSI for children ages 2½ -7
• 1981: WAIS-R (revised form of 1955 test)
• 1997: WAIS-III
 Wechsler Scales
“Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of the i
ndividual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to
deal effectively with his environment.”
David Wechsler (1939)

• global: one score ultimately describes a person’s intell

ectual ability
• aggregate: that one score is composed of a number of
sub-scores
 Wechsler’s original test
• Wechsler believed that intellectual ability invo
lves two major types of skills: verbal and perfo
rmance abilities.
• Each of these broad types includes a variety of
specific skills that are assessed by the various
subtests of the WAIS.
• However, all these subtests measure g as well
as specific skills
 Full Scale IQ

Verbal IQ Performance IQ

VCI WMI POI PSI

Vocabulary Digit Span Block Design Digit-Symbol

Similarities Arithmetic Matrix reasoning Coding
Information Letter-Number Picture completion Symbol Search
Picture arrangement
Comprehension Sequencing
Wechsler test produced 3 IQ scores
• Full-scale IQ: • reflects both verbal and
performance IQs
• most reliable and valid
score extracted from
WAIS
• why do you think this is
the most reliable?
Wechsler test produced 3 IQ scores
• Verbal IQ: • Responses require
person being tested to
use language – to
understand instructions
or to make a response
Wechsler test produced 3 IQ scores
• Performance IQ: • Performance subtests
involve doing
something, not just
answering questions
 Structure of the WAIS
• WAIS-III has four index scores:
– verbal comprehension
– working memory
– perceptual organization
– processing speed.
• Index scores added recently because, with ne
w subtests, factor analysis suggests these four
factors
 Index scores
• Verbal comprehension • assesses general verbal
skills, such as verbal
fluency, ability to
understand and use
verbal reasoning, and
verbal knowledge
• based on both formal
and informal
educational
opportunities,
 Index scores
• Working memory • Encode information into
• “The blackboard of the STM, store it there,
mind” (Goldman-Rakic, retrieve it when needed
1992) • Manipulate information
(e.g., addition)
• Thinking, learning,
planning
 Index scores
• Perceptual organization • Use visual, spatial, and
visually-guided motor
skills
• Organize thoughts
• Assesses comfort with
new, unfamiliar
situations
 Index score
• Processing speed
• The speed at which
cognitive processes can be
carried out
• focus, scanning speed,
sequentially ordering visual
information
• sensitive to motivation,
difficulty working under
time pressure.
• biological
• cultural factors have little
impact
 WAIS Verbal Tests
• Vocabulary
• Similarities
• Arithmetic
• Digit Span
• Information
• Comprehension
• Letter-Number Sequencing
 Vocabulary
• Subject is given one • The best single measure
word at a time, asked to of g
define it • Correlation of
• Sensitive to word vocabulary score with g
knowledge, linguistic is .83
development, acquired
knowledge, verbal
expression ability,
crystallized intelligence
 Vocabulary
• Very stable • Of all WAIS subtests,
• Resistant to effects of the one most resistant
poor concentration in to brain damage
schizophrenia • Thus, allows a good
• Not affected by mild estimate of pre-morbid
concentration trouble functioning
 Similarities
• Task is to say how two • Earlier items in series
(superficially) dissimilar are known through
items might be similar experience (e.g., “In
• Evaluating details – what way are a cake
which details are and a pudding alike?”)
“diagnostic”? • Later items require
abstract thinking (e.g.,
“How are affection and
approval alike?”
 Similarities
• Logical, abstract • With Information
thinking subtest, the second
• Concept formation best for measuring g
• Crystallized and fluid • Correlation with g =.79
intelligence
 Similarities
• Of VCI (Verbal • Score on this subtest is
Comprehension Index) impacted by
subtests, the one least psychopathology, and
affected by formal by brain damage – esp.
education or learning left hemisphere lesions
 Arithmetic
• Assesses working • Correlation with g is r
memory, numerical = .75
reasoning, computation
skill, concentration,
retrieval from LTM
• Influenced by emotional
state
 Digit Span
• Repeat a series of up to • Attention, auditory
7 digits in correct order memory and
• Digits presented 1 per sequencing, short term
second memory, mental
• Tested both Forward alertness, sequential
(DSF) and Backward processing, cognitive
(DSB) flexibility
 Digit Span
• Average 6.4 digits • Correlation with g:
forward, 4.7 backwards r=.57 (the worst)
• DSF – DSB ≥ 5 suggests
brain damage
 Information
• Acquired knowledge, • Correlation with g: r = .79
crystallized intelligence, (2nd best)
fund of information, range • Failure on easy items
of general factual followed by success on
knowledge, long term harder items suggests
memory retrieval difficulties
• Affected by formal • Resistant to
education opportunities psychopathology and brain
damage – good estimate of
pre-morbid functioning
 Comprehension
• 3 different kinds of • Assesses social and
questions: moral reasoning,
– Appropriate responses judgment, verbal
to hypothetical concepts, knowledge of
situations ordinary standards of
– Logical explanations for behavior, practical
everyday actions information
– Proverb interpretations
 Comprehension
• Rewards conventional • g: correlation r = .77
responses, not creative
ones
• R Hem patients may
score high (their L Hem
intact so they know
answers) but still
behave inappropriately
 Letter-number sequencing
• Optional – not needed • g: correlation r = .65
to compute IQ • Impaired by anxiety,
• Task is to re-order weak attention focusing
intermixed, randomly- ability
sequenced numbers • Dropping a letter:
and letters attention problem
• Taps STM, sequential • Mixing up letters:
reasoning ability, sequencing problem
planning
 WAIS Performance Tests
• Picture completion
• Digit symbol-coding
• Block design
• Matrix reasoning
• Picture arrangement
• Symbol search (optional)
• Object assembly (optional)
 Picture Completion
• Task: say what detail is • Alertness, attention to
missing from a picture. detail
• Timed response • LTM (Visual)
• Pointing response is • Crystallized intelligence
allowed • R Hem skill
• Raises issue of pointing • g: correlation r = .64
precision (trained
examiner required)
Digit Symbol Coding

X
2

╫
3

÷
… 9

9 1 6
… 3
 Digit Symbol Coding
• Visual STM • g: correlation r = .59
• Psychomotor speed • Very sensitive to any
• Visual-motor kind of brain damage
coordination
• Visual sequencing
• Accuracy & speed
 Block Design
• Assesses visual-motor • g: correlation = .72
coordination, visual • Affected by R Hem
analysis & synthesis, damage
spatial visualization • Bizarre solutions may
• Visual input, motor indicate dementia
output
• Fluid intelligence
• Trial & error learning
 Matrix Reasoning
• 4 types of stimuli:
Ō ō Ǒ ?
– pattern completion
– classification
– analogy
– serial reasoning
• Subject given a series of
matrices and must say
what goes in the empty
cell
 Matrix reasoning
• Measures abstract • g: correlation r = .72
thinking, nonverbal
reasoning, analogy skill
• Fluid intelligence
• Visual organization
 Picture Arrangement
• Task is to put a series of • Non-verbal reasoning
(randomly-ordered) • Possibly social skill
pictures into narrative • Fluid & crystallized
order (so they tell a intelligence
coherent story)
• Planning
• As if you found a comic
strip jumbled up and • Time concepts
had to order the frames
sensibly
 Picture Arrangement
• Failure may be due to • g: correlation r = .66
visual problems
(compare with Picture
Completion)
 Symbol Search
• Optional – not needed • 120 seconds allowed
to compute IQ • How many can subject
• Subject shown two do in that time?
target abstract symbols
and asked whether
either target appears in
a set of ‘probe’ symbols
 Symbol Search
• Visual-motor • g: correlation r = .70
coordination and speed,
planning, STM,
perceptual speed
• Large practice effects in
young adults
 Object Assembly
• Subject given pieces of • Taps knowledge of part-
a puzzle whole relationships,
• Task is to assemble visual-motor
pieces into a whole coordination,
anticipation of
relationships among
parts
• Fluid intelligence
 Object Assembly
• Sensitive to cerebral • g: correlation r = .62
damage, especially in R
Hem
• Sensitive to disorder
called neglect
 Scales and Norms for the WAIS
• Determine raw score for each subtest.
• Convert raw scores to standard scores, called scal
ed scores (M=10, SD=3)
• Convery to standard scores using tables for age (1
3 age groups).
• Subtest scaled scores are added, then converted t
o WAIS-III composite scores.
• Three composite scores: Verbal, Performance, Ful
l Scale, each with M=100, SD=15
 Standardization of the WAIS
• Standardized on a stratified sample of 2,45
0 adults representative of the US populatio
n aged 16-89.
• There were 200 cases per age group, except
for the smaller numbers in the two oldest g
roups.
• Still difficult to know the effects of self-sele
ction since participants had to be invited an
d accept to be included.
 Reliability of the WAIS
• Internal consistency and • About .90 for
test-retest reliabilities performance and these
.95 or higher for full index scores:
scale and verbal scores. perceptual organization,
working memory, and
processing speed.
 Reliability of the WAIS
• Internal consistency • Generally, performance
reliability for the reliabilities are lower
subtests range from than verbal reliabilities
upper .70s to low .90s. on the subtests.
Test-retest is about .83.
• Why might that be?
 Validity of the WAIS
• We have a great deal of information on crit
erion-related and construct validity.
• Factors analyses support use of 4 index scor
es.
• Most widely used ability test today
 Johnson et al. (2004)
• Measured correlation between WAIS scores a
nd two other test batteries:
– Comprehensive Ability Battery (CAB)
– Hawaii Battery + Ravens
• These batteries varied in their subtests, but co
rrelations were essentially perfect
 Comprehensive Abilities Battery
1. Numerical Ability Computations including fractions, decimal divisions, squ
are roots, etc.
2. Spatial Ability Interpretation of two-dimensional figural rotation or rev
ersal.
3. Memory Span Recall of digits presented aurally.
4. Flexibility of Closure Identification of embedded figures.
5. Mechanical Ability Identification of mechanical principles and tools.
6. Speed of Closure Completion of gestalt.
7. Perceptual Speed Evaluation of symbol pairs.
8. Word Fluency Production of anagrams.
9. Inductive Reasoning Identification of pattern in sequences of letter sets.
10. Associative Memory Rote memorization of meaningless pairings.
11. Meaningful Memory Rote memorization of meaningful pairings.
12. Verbal—Vocabulary Multiple choice among possible synonyms.
13. Verbal—Proverbs Interpretation of proverbs.
14. Spelling Multiple-choice identification of misspellings.
 Hawaii Battery + Ravens
15. Card Rotations Matching of rotated alternatives to probe.
16. Mental Rotation Identification of rotated versions of 2-D pre-presentation of 3-D objects.
17. Paper Form Board Outline of cutting instructions to form the target figure.
18. Hidden Patterns Identification of probe figures in more complex patterns.
19. Cubes Identification of matched figures after rotation.
20. Paper Folding Identification of unfolded version of a folded probe.
21. Raven Identification of analogous figure to follow a sequence of figures.
22. Vocabulary Multiple choice among possible meanings.
23. Subtractn/Multn Completion of two-digit subtractions and two-digit by one-digit multiplicati
ons.
24. Word Beg/Endings Generation of words beginning and ending with specified letters.
25. Pedigrees Identification of familial relationships within a family tree.
26. Things Categories Generation of things that share assigned characteristics.
27. Different Uses Generation of novel uses for specified objects.
28. Immed Vis Mem Recall of illustrations of common objects immediately following presentatio
n.
29. Delay Visl Mem Recall of illustrations of same common objects after delay.
30. Lines and Dots Trace a path through a grid of dots.
31. Identical Pictures Identification of alternative identical to probe.
 Johnson et al. (2004)
• Correlations:
• WAIS – Hawaii Battery + Ravens 1.00
• WAIS – Comprehensive Ability Battery 0.99
• Hawaii – CAB 0.99

• These results constitute strong evidence for g and sh

ow that the one-factor result does not depend upon
particular tasks
 WISC-III
• Most popular test for assessing intellectual abi
lity of children ages 6 years, 0 months to 16 ye
ars, 11 months.
• Similar to structure of the WAIS, with easier it
ems
• Both tests yield verbal, performance, and full s
cale IQ and 4 index scores
• Most of the subtests are the same
Psychometric Properties of the WISC-II
I
• Standardization program involved 2,200 cases sel
ected to represent the US population of children a
ged 6-16.
• Composite scores generally have internal consiste
ncy reliabilities in the mid-.90s and test-retest reli
abilities around .90.
• Subtest reliabilities are generally in the mid-.80s.
• Object Assembly and Mazes are problematic, with
reliabilities in the .60s.