Assets.
allows practitioners to make relatively accurate predictions regarding clients. Inconsistencies between an individual’s performance and relevant research can also be noted, alerting the practitioner that he or she needs to develop and pursue further hypotheses. Furthermore, the subtests are relatively easy to administer, and the accompanying manuals provide clear instructions, concise tables, and excellent norms.
Norms for both the WAIS-III and WISC-III represent a further clear strength. The size is adequate
Cross-national use has been developed through research on how residents in other countries perform. Oversampling on the WAIS-III was done for African Americans and Hispanics as well as on a wide range of educational and ability levels to better understand how these groups perform. A further important feature is that the WAIS-III was co-normed with the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). This means that a high degree of confidence can be placed in comparing scores among these three different tests. Finally, the WAIS-III has extended its age range to include the performance for persons in the 74 to 89 range IQ and index scores have substantial theoretical and empirical support. A final, but extremely important, an asset of the Wechsler scales is their ability to aid in assessing personality variables. This can be done by directly observing the individual as he or she interacts with the examiner, studying the content of test item responses, or evaluating information inferred from the individual’s pattern of subtest scores. For example, a person scoring low on Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Digit Symbol is likely to be experiencing anxiety, to have an attentional deficit or a combination of both.
One significant criticism leveled at the Wechsler scales has been their lack of data supporting their ecological (or everyday) validity meanings associated with subtest scores should be investigated in more depth. For example, Picture Completion has traditionally been considered a measure of a person’s ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant details in his or her environment, yet this assumption has not been adequately tested. Likewise, no studies have been made to determine if high or low Digit Span scores relate to actual day-by-day behaviors, such as recalling telephone numbers, facility with computer programming sequences, or following directions.
The Wechsler scales, like other tests of intelligence, are also limited in the scope of what they can measure. They do not assess important factors, such as the need for achievement, motivation, creativity, or success in dealing with people.
A further potential difficulty is that when supplementary subtests are substituted for regular subtests, it is unclear how these supplementary subtests will affect the three IQ or index scores. As a result, supplementary subtests should be given only under unusual circumstances, such as when one of the regular subtests has been “spoiled.”
MEANING OF IQ SCORES
In summary, an IQ is
Meaning of IQ Scores 141
an estimate of a person’s current level of functioning as measured by the various tasks required in a test.
IQ scores are also influenced by achievement orientation, curiosity, culture, and the person’s interests
most common errors, in order of frequency, are as follows:
Failing to record examinee responses, circle scores, or record times (errors of administration).
2. Assigning too many points to an examinee’s response (leniency by the examiner).
3. Failing to question when required by test manual (poor reading and recalling of information in the manual).
4. Questioning examinee inappropriately (poor reading and/or incorrect integration of the manual).
5. Assigning too few points when required by test manual (examiner too hard).
6. Incorrectly converting raw score to standard score (clerical error).
7. Failingtoassign correct points for Performance items (clerical and timing error).
8. Incorrectly calculating a raw score for subtest totals (clerical error). 9. Incorrectly calculating chronological age (clerical error).
Series of recommendations
based on the most frequently occurring errors but does so by listing concrete and specific recommendations:
1. Recite digits (on Digit Span) and digits and letters (on Letter Number Sequencing) at the rate of one per second with the pitch of the voice dropping on the last digit/letter of each trial.
2. State during the introduction that each task begins with easy questions and ends with difficult ones. Examiners may also note that not everyone is expected to succeed on all problems.
3. Record responses verbatim on Vocabulary. At times, the examinee provides so much detail that this is not possible, but the essential components should be written down verbatim. This can be facilitated by the use of abbreviations.
4. Properly orient blocks (on Block Design) at the examinee’s midline.
5. The first time the examinee points out a nonessential part on Picture Completion, the examiner should comment, “Yes, but what is the most important thing missing?”
6. 6. Attempt to elicit the examinee’s perception of the testing situation and correct any misconceptions.
7. Check to see if the examinee is comfortable.
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