Week 5 - Intro to WAIS Flashcards
What is intelligence testing?
Measures individual intelligence.
Can measure a range of different aspects such as skills and abilities.
What is the most well known measure of intelligence?
IQ (Intelligence Quotient)
What are other forms of measures of intelligence aside from IQ?
Mental age + intelligence scale
What contexts do intelligent tests have predictive success in?
Academic achievement and job performance
What level of correlation exists between predicting job performance and general intelligence for complex roles?
Moderately high correlation
What are intelligence tests sensitive to?
Neurophysical deficit (cognitive impairment issues)
What can increase the predictive success of intelligence tests in work settings?
Integrity tests, work samples and structured interviews
What are intelligence test tasks able to reflect in terms of a person’s performance?
Test tasks can demonstrate the unique ways a person approaches cognitive tasks
Aside from performance, what other elements can be observed when a person is completing intelligence test tasks
Anxiety levels, self-esteem, idiosyncrasies, social skills, motivation levles and intellectual functioning
How can intelligence testing help with measuring change over time?
Test results can act as a baseline to assess change over time.
Can identify progress, and decline in functioning and also measure the efficacy of interventions.
In terms of test delivery, what are some of the benefits of intelligence tests compared with other tests?
Able to be delivered consistently as they are less reliant on clinical interpretation or variability or assessors
What do WAIS scales help to assess?
Personality and emotional variables
What other tools, when combined with WAIS, can help to generate hypotheses about individual personality?
Behavioural observations, subtest patterns and qualitative responses to items
Have there been any findings around establishing patterns of subtest scores on the WAIS?
No
What modes of thought does the intelligence testing focus on?
Convergent, analytical and scientific modes of thought
How is intelligence testing used as a social mechanism?
It passes on advantages to students with similar values, behaviours and skills as adults
Why can predicting academic success just using IQ scores lead to a high chance of failure?
Because all of the variables which are related to success cannot and are not measured by a test
What is one misinterpretation of IQ scores
That they measure innate, fixed capacity.
This is not true.
Should IQ scores be used to predict long-term performance?
No.
They should only be used to predict short-term performance, instead of long-term as there are too many influencing variables.
However, they are often used to predict long term performance.
What is a key limitation in terms of the use of IQ tests and scores?
IQ scores have become one of the most misused scores to measure, assess and understand innate cognitive abilities
IQ tests tend to focus on the what, instead of the how. How is this a limitation?
Focusing on the end product or result can often mean missing out on the nuances of a person’s overall cognitive capacity.
What is a limitation of intelligence tests in an educational setting?
Children may be placed in boxes based on ‘strengths and weaknesses’ which are inferred by test results.
Meaning they may be unnecessarily limited in their choices based on test results which lack nuance.
How are intelligence tests culturally biased?
Tend to favour WEIRD populations
How are minorities disadvantages in terms of intelligence tests?
Lack of practice, issues with establishing rapport, lack of familiarity with culturally loaded items
What has research suggested in terms of bias of IQ scores
That the IQ scores may not be as biased as some argue
What sorts of tests have been created to deal with cultural bias?
A range of tests which are non-verbal including:
Weschler Non-Verbal Scale of Ability
Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI-4)
Queensland Test (Q Test)
What do the alternative tests suggest in terms of the fairness of the WAIS from a cultural perspective?
The alternative intelligence tests correlate strongly with exposure to Eurocentric educational systems.
So, the WAIS is not culturally fair.
Why is ecological validity important in terms of the WAIS?
Because it confirms whether test scores can predict behaviour in the real world.
The WAIS lack ecological validity which is an issue as referrals are becoming more related to a client’s everyday functioning.
No studies have been conducted to determine if high or low Digit Span scores relate to actual day to day behaviours.
Why is this a problem?
Because it there is no evidence to support the assumption that certain tests scores (e.g. Digit Span) can reflect day to day functioning.
For example, recalling phone number, following directions, etc.
Critics of WAIS believe there is an overinterpretation of subtest and index scores.
What does this mean?
The reliability of the subtest scores is low.
Subtests are not specific enough.
So one should not assume these tests can indicate individual performance.
What do some critics argue in terms of interpreting WAIS scores?
Assessors should only interpret the FSIQ score and not the index scores.
However, others have argued that intelligence is complex and hypothesis testing, along with the interpretation of the results against external criteria is preferable.
What is one issue in terms of how tests are scored for the WAIS?
It is complex, which can lead to errors.
Which communities may not benefit from the use of norms in terms of WAIS scoring?
Ethnic minorities and those from low SES communities
What are some of the issues around using supplementary tests with WAIS
Lack of evidence around how the supplementary tests impact the FSIQ and index scores.
So assessors should be cautious when using the tests. Only use in special circumstances.
Which tests have vague scoring criteria?
Similarities, Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests
What aspects do the Weschler scales not measure?
Need for achievement
Motivation
Creativity
Social interactions
The Weschler scales have not been updated to reflect current views on intelligence.
True or False?
True.
The scales have remained largely unchanged for over 50 years.
When were the Weschler scales initially created?
1930s
What were some of the issues of the Weschler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale?
Poor subtest reliability
Small size and lack of representativeness of normative sample
What is the WAIS test, in terms of structure
Composite of intelligence tests
Battery format = multiple tests to measure intelligence
Why is the WAIS one of the most frequently used tests in clinical practice?
It is psychometrically sound
Functionally and culturally relevant.
Why is the FSIQ important in terms of test scores on the WAIS?
It provides the basis and context for evaluating other cognitive abilities.
Generally, the most reliable and valid score provides person’s relative standing in comparison with age-related peers.
What age is the WAIS-IV appropriate for?
16 - 90 years
What age is the WISC-V appropriate for?
6 - 16 years
What age is the WPPSI appropriate for?
2.5 - 7.5 years
How is split-half reliability measured?
Calculated by measuring performance on half of the items on FSIQ or VCI items to performance on the other half
What does split-half reliability reflect?
Internal consistency of items which contribute to construct score
What are the ranges from Test-Retest reliability results for WAIS-V?
0.7 (7 subscales) to 0.9 (2 subscales)
What are the ranges for the split-half reliability for WAIS-IV?
Range from extremely high (FSIQ) to acceptable (Cancellation subtest).
What are the VCI subtests?
Similarities
Vocabulary
Information
Supp:
Comprehension
What are the WMI subtests?
Arithmetic
Digital Span
Supp: Letter-number sequencing
What are the PRI subtests?
Block Design
Visual Puzzles
Matrix Reasoning
Supp:
Picture Completion
Figure Weights
What are the PSI subtests?
Coding
Symbol Search
Supp: Cancellation
