Ch.9 - Assessment Flashcards
Intelligence tests measure
intellectual ability
Achievement tests measure
accomplishments in academic ares
Neuropsychological tests focus on
cognitive dysfunction; often from brain injury or illness
Charles Spearman, what did he argue about intelligence?
Spearman argued that intelligence was one single characteristic called “g”. It represented a person’s global, overall intellectual ability.
Thurstone, what did he argue about intelligence?
Intelligence is numerous distinct abilities that may not relate to each other. He was the first and the strongest to oppose Spearman.
What did Thurstone do to support his claim?
Factor analysis. Using that, he found independent factors: verbal comprehension, numerical ability, spatial reasoning and memory. This is why he said they don’t relate, because knowing someone’s score on a math test will not be indicative of their verbal comprehension.
What do Heiarchical models of intelligence combine?
The theories of Spearman and Thurstone. Says intelligence is a blend of singular and plural theories
What two types of intelligence is Cattell suggest?
Fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence
What is fluid intelligence?
ability to reason when faced with novel problems
What is crystallized intelligence?
knowledge accumulated from life experience
What is Carroll’s 3 stratum theory?
there is g at the top, the 8 broad factors underneath, then 60+ specific abilities
forms a web
What are the 3 Wechsler IQ tests?
o Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale- fourth editions (WAIS-IV)- age 16-89
o Wechsler intelligence scale for children – fifth edition (WISC-V)-age 6-16
o Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence - fourth edition (WPPSI-IV) age 2:6-7:3
What are 6 similarities among all 3 Wechsler tests?
- Yield single full-scale intelligence results
- One on one, face to face administration
- each subset is brief and beginning easy but increases in difficulty
- large amount of normative data (collection of 2000 peoples scores)
- Impressive validity and reliability
- Interpretation of the test: Full IQ scale first then getting more specific
What is within the full scale intelligence score?
1) 4-5 index scores: ex: verbal comprehension and perceptual organization
2) about a dozen specific subset scores
What is the mean for the full scale and index scores vs. the subset scores?
100 vs. 10
what is the SD for all IQ tests?
15
How is the Stanford-Binet Scales similar to the Wechsler? (3)
o Face-to-face, one-to-one administration
o Single overall IQ score, 5 factor scores, many more subset scores
o Mean score is 100 and SD is 15
The Stanford Binet test has become…
less commonly used than Wechsler tests, but still highly regarded and used
How is the Stanford Binet unlike Wechsler in some ways? (3)
o One test covers whole lifespan (ages 2-85+)
o Subsets include extensions at high and low end (useful for assessing giftedness or intellectual disability)
o Different subsets and factors
What subsets may place people from minority cultural groups at a disadvantage?
the verbal subset
What is the Flynn effect?
as generations grow, IQ gets higher and higher
What is the advantage of the universal nonverbal intelligence test-2 (UNIT-2)
It is entirely language free. No speaking necessary for test administer or test taker. All instructions are given by hand signals
What are the two drawbacks to the UNIT-2?
- only ages 5-21
- limited psychometric data
Intelligence is what a person…
CAN accomplish
Achievement is what a person…
HAS accomplished. Especially in reading, writing, spelling, math
Achievements tests typically produce standard scores that can..
be easily compared to scores from intelligence tests (eg. mean = 100)
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test- Third Edition (WIAT-III) is for ages
4-50
ALSO:
Administered face-to-face and one-to-one
Reading, math, written language, oral language
What are some purposes of neurological testing (3)?
to make prognosis, plan rehab, determine eligibility for accommodations
Neurological tests can be…
lengthy and comprehensive; others are brief and targeted
What is the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRB)
Comprehensive battery of 8 neuropsychological tests (example the Stroop task)
Primary purpose is to identify people with brain damage and, to the extent possible, provide detailed information or hypotheses about any brain damage identified
Some of 8 tests involve sight, hearing, touch, motor skills, and pencil and paper tasks
What is the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) similar to?
HRB
o Similarly, long and comprehensive
Emphasizes qualitative data in addition to quantitative data
What is the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test?
- Commonly used neuropsychological screen
- 6 minutes to administer
- simply spying 9 geometric shapes
- Its a quick check followed by more tests if necessary
- Can suggest brain damage in a diffuse but not specific way
What is the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test?
Brief pencil and paper drawing task, unlike Bender Gestault is a single, more complex drawing using coloured pencils
Also has a memory component; have to resell figure form memory
What is the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS)?
- Neuropsychological screen that focuses on a broader range of abilities than Bender or Otsterrieth
- 12 subsets in less than a half hour so LOTS OF INFO
The Wechsler Memory Scale ?
- ages 16-90
- Assess memory problems due to brain damage, dementia, substance abuse, etc..
- Assesses visual and auditory memory, immediate and delayed recall
What are the three essential criteria for a good psychometric test?
Reliability, validity, standardization
What does test standardization ensure? (2)
1) that the conditions are as similar as possible for all individuals who are given the test
2) No matter who gives the test and scores it, the results should be the same
What is the most common standard score?
A z score
What does a z-score mean?
Number of sd away from the mean
What is the formula for transforming any standard score into a z-score?
(score-mean)/standard deviation
What standardized score is most often used in clinical settings? What is the mean and SD?
T score
Mean = 50
SD = 10
What is step one of interpreting an intelligence scale?
Look at full scale IQ
1) compare to norms of the general population
2) within subjects comparison: compare to individual’s own performance on other subsets
What is step two of interpreting an intelligence scale?
Look at index scores
1) compare to norms
2) within subjects comparison: compare index scores to one another
What is step three of interpreting an intelligence scale?
Look at subsets
1) compare to norms
2) within subjects comparison: compare subtest scores to one another
What is step four of interpreting an intelligence scale?
Behavioural observation during testing (people are most comfortable with this one) o Personality and ease of testing o Signs of anxiety? o Speed of response o Unusual mannerism or ways of responding o Speech during responses o Distractibility Motor skills
The WISC-IV is made up of what four indexes?
- Verbal comprehension
- Perceptual reasoning
- Working memory
- Processing speed
What type of IQ does the verbal comprehension test?
crystallized IQ
What do high scores on verbal comprehension mean?
ability to reason verbally
What do low scores on verbal comprehension indicate?
Difficulties with
- verbal ability
- vocabulary
- long term memory
What 4 subsets make up the verbal comprehension index?
- vocabulary
- comprehension
- information
- word reasoning
How do you test vocabulary?
For picture items, the child names pictures that are displayed in the stimulus book. For verbal items, the child gives definitions for words that the examiner reads aloud.
Ex. (picture) train
(verbal) umbrella, absorb, garrulous
How do you test comprehension?
The child answers questions based on his or her understanding of general principles and social situations.
Ex. Why do people brush their teeth?
How do you test information?
The child answers questions that address a broad range of general knowledge topics.
Ex. How many legs does a dog have?
Who was Confucius?
Where does turpentine come from?
How do you test word reasoning?
The child identifies the common concept being described in a series of clues.
Ex: This is used to dry yourself after a bath. These are protected by skin and bones… And can sometimes be replaced.
What does the perceptual reasoning index test?
fluid IQ
High ability of perceptual reasoning reflects:
Non-verbal reasoning ability
Ability to learn novel patterns
Low ability of novel reasoning could reflect?
Difficulty learning nonverbal concepts
Difficulty visual motor
Slower thought process (when combined with low processing speed)
Visual processing difficulties
What is an example of a perceptual reasoning task?
While viewing a model or a picture in a book, the child uses red-and-white blocks to re-create the design within a specified time limit.
What are the 3 subsets within perceptual reasoning index?
- picture concepts
- matrix reasoning
- picture completion
What is an example of picture concepts?
The child is presented with two or three rows of pictures and chooses one picture from each row to form a group with a common characteristic.
ex: farm animals and sports teams
What is matrix reasoning?
The child looks at an incomplete matrix and selects the missing portion from five response options. (flower example)
What is picture completion?
The child views a picture and then points to or names the important part missing within a specified time limit.
Ex. pencil without lead tip
pig without nostril
river/bridge without waves on one side
What is the working memory index most closely associated with?
attention
What do high scores of working memory reflect?
ability to concentrate & hold information in mind
What do low scores of working memory reflect?
Difficulty with sustained attention Difficulty with mental manipulation Difficulty with exerting mental effort Distractibility Disorganization Anxiety Depression
What are 3 subsets within working memory index?
- digit span
- letter-number sequencing
- arithmetic
How can you test for digit span?
For digit span forward, the child repeats numbers in the same order as presented aloud by the examiner. For digit span backward, the child repeats numbers in the reverse order of that presented aloud by the examiner.
Forward length ranges from 2 to 9. Backward length ranges from 2 to 8.
how can you test for letter number sequencing?
The child is read a sequence of numbers and letters and recalls the numbers in ascending order and the letters in alphabetical order. Ex. 5-A-2-B AB25 or 25AB S-3-K-4-Y-1-G 134GKSY or GLSY134
How do you test for arithmetic ?
The child mentally solves a series of orally presented arithmetic problems within a specified time limit.
Ex. (Picture): How many nuts will be left if each squirrel eats one?
(No picture): If I cut an apple in half, how many pieces will I have?
What ability does processing speed index test ?
ability to process visual information quickly
What 3 subsets test for processing speed?
- symbol search
- cancellation
- coding
How do you test for coding?
The child copies symbols that are paired with simple geometric shapes or numbers. Using a key, the child draws each symbol in its corresponding shape or box within a specified time limit.
How do you test for symbol search?
The child scans a search group and indicates whether the target symbol(s) matches any of the symbols in the search group within a specified time limit.
How do you test for cancellation?
The child scans both a random and a structured arrangement of pictures and marks target pictures within a specified time limit.
