The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG) is a comprehensive assessment battery designed to assess broad and narrow cognitive abilities, as defined by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. Previous studies examined the invariance of the WJ assessments across sex and age groups using factor analytic methods.…

Introduction: Intellectual disability is a key subject in all mental healthcare institutions, including the forensic mental health services. The Screener for Intelligence and Learning Disability (SCIL) is designed to screen for intellectual disability in forensic populations. So far, this assessment method is only validated in "detention fit…

Intelligence has been defined in multiple ways throughout history. In the last 100 years a psychometric approach to define the concept of intelligence has come to dominate the concept. This Commentary provides a brief overview of the history and concepts of intelligence with an emphasis on intellectual assessment. Particular focus is placed on the…

The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II; Wechsler, 2011) is a brief intelligence test designed for individuals aged 6 through 90 years. It is a revision of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI; Wechsler, 1999). During revision, there were three goals: enhancing the link between the Wechsler…

In this commentary, we reviewed two clinical validation studies on the Wechsler Scales conducted by Weiss and colleagues. These researchers used a rigorous within-battery model-fitting approach that demonstrated the factorial invariance of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence…

The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II; Wechsler, 2011), published by Pearson, is a newly updated abbreviated measure of cognitive intelligence designed for individuals 6 to 90 years of age. Primarily used in clinical, psychoeducational, and research settings, the WASI-II was developed to quickly and accurately…

IQ test scores should be corrected for high stakes decisions that employ these assessments, including capital offense cases. If scores are not corrected, then diagnostic standards must change with each generation. Arguments against corrections, based on standards of practice, information present and absent in test manuals, and related issues,…

Estimates of the validity of random short forms can serve as benchmarks against which to appraise the validity of particular short forms. Formulas are presented for estimating the validity of random short forms and illustrated with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory data. (Author/CM)

The present study determined specificity and sensitivity to malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MND) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) for several Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Digit Span scores. TBI patients (n = 344) were categorized into one of five groups: no incentive, incentive only, suspect, probable MND, and definite MND.…

Factor analyzed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) across nine age groups in the standardization sample. When three- and four-factor analyses were performed, the familiar three-factor structure (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom From Distractibility) was clearly visible. (Author/JAC)

Tables permitting the conversion of short-form composite scores to full-scale IQ estimates have been published for previous editions of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Equivalent tables are now needed for selected subtests of the WAIS-III. This article used Tellegen and Briggs's formulae to convert the sum of scaled scores for four…

Three short forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), developed in 1991, were cross-validated on 207 male and 133 female adolescent psychiatric inpatients and outpatients. Results show psychometric properties for the short forms that are comparable to those of the WAIS-R standardization sample. (SLD)

Research on the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) is reviewed, including the relationship of Memory Quotient to Full Scale IQ. Despite its limitations, WMS has been a sensitive test of short-term memory, which may be helpful in identifying dominant (left) temporal lobe impairment. (Author/SJL)

Analyzed published data on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to ascertain whether the Information and Vocabulary subtests can function as measures of intelligence. Concluded that the addition of more WAIS subtests will not result in any increase in predictive validity and these additional tests, therefore, lack incremental validity.…

Increasingly neuropsychologists are under pressure, particularly in child custody and personal injury litigation, to justify the validity of the tests upon which their assessments are based. Reviews research on the validity of clinical opinions based on tests and concludes that test scores must be used in conjunction with life history and current…