INTELLIGENCE TEST

Intelligence tests are psychological tests that are designed to measure a variety of mental
functions, such as reasoning, comprehension, and judgement.

INDIVIDUAL INTELLIGENCE TEST

There are two major types of intelligence tests, those administered to individuals and those
administered to groups. The two main individual intelligence tests are the: Stanford- Binet Intelligence
Test and Wechsler Tests.

THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale is an intelligence test that can be administered to both children
and adults. The test was developed by Dr. David Wechsler, a clinical psychologist with Bellevue
Hospital, in 1939, the test measures one’s ability to “adapt and constructively solve problems in the
environment,” as Wechsler defined.

HISTORY OF THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALES

Wechsler was dissatisfied with what he believed were the limitations of the Stanford-Binet test.
Among his chief complaints about that test were the single score that emerged, its emphasis on
timed tasks, and the fact that the test had been designed specifically for children and was
therefore invalid for adults. Wechsler constructed the WBIS based on his observation
that, at the time, existing intelligence tests for adults were merely adaptations of
tests for children and had little face validity for older age groups.

Since 1939, three scales have been developed and subsequently revised, to measure
intellectual functioning of children and adults. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale-III(WAIS-III) is intended for use with adults. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale
for Children-III (WISC-III) is designed for children ages 6 - 16, while the Wechsler
Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-R (WPPSI-R) is designed for children
age 4 - 6 1/2 years.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is an intelligence test that was first published in
1955 and designed to measure intelligence in adults and older adolescents. The test was designed
by psychologist David Wechsler who believed that intelligence was made up a number of
different mental abilities rather than a single general intelligence factor.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Adults

The The Wechsler Intelligence Scale is an intelligence test that can be administered to both
children and adults. Developed by Dr. David Wechsler, a clinical psychologist with Bellevue
Hospital, in 1939, the tests measure one's ability to "adapt and constructively solve problems in
the environment," as Wechsler defined.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children is an individually administered test for children
between the ages of 6 and 16. It can be completed without any reading or writing, and takes
65 to 80 minutes to complete. It generates an IQ score, which represents a child's cognitive
ability.

The test is divided into 15 subtests, 10 of which are from previous versions of the test.
Supplemental subtests are used to accommodate children in rare cases or to make up for
spoiled results due to interruptions or other causes.

The WISC contains several of the subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale and has been
revised five times into the fall 2014 version, the WISC-V.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults

Designed to measure intelligence in adults and older adolescents, the WISA is in its fourth
version which was published by Pearson in 2008. The test contains 10 subtests and 5
supplemental tests. The core tests comprise the entire IQ scale, and determines the
capacity of a person to act and think purposefully and rationally and to deal effectively with
his environment. It takes around 90 minutes to complete.
The WAIS is appropriate for adults and adolescents ranging from 16 to 90 years of age.

Scoring and Administration

Each test is comprised of two groups of subtests: Verbal and Performance. Verbal scales
measure general knowledge, language, reasoning, and memory skills. Performance
measures spatial, sequencing, and problem-solving skills.
Each test is individually administered by a trained examiner and requires a complex set of
test materials. The Full Scale IQ score is determined by a formula that sums the Verbal and
Performance IQ scores. A score beyond 130 is considered superior or "gifted", 120-129 is
"very high", 110-119 are considered "bright normal", and anything less than 90 is considered
average to low average. Anything lower than a 70 signals borderline mental functionality,
and any lower than 69 signals mental retardation.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), developed by David Wechsler, is an individually
administered intelligence test for children between the ages of 6 and 16. The Fifth Edition (WISC-V;
Wechsler, 2014) is the most recent version.

The WISC-V takes 45–65 minutes to administer. It generates a Full Scale IQ (formerly known as an
intelligence quotient or IQ score) that represents a child's general intellectual ability. It also provides five
primary index scores: Verbal Comprehension Index, Visual Spatial Index, Fluid Reasoning Index, Working
Memory Index, and Processing Speed Index. These indices represent a child's abilities in discrete cognitive
domains. Five ancillary composite scores can be derived from various combinations of primary or primary
and secondary subtests.

Five complementary subtests yield three complementary composite scores to measure related cognitive
abilities relevant to assessment and identification of specific learning disabilities, particularly dyslexia
and dyscalculia. Variation in testing procedures and goals can reduce time of assessment to 15–20
minutes for the assessment of a single primary index, or increase testing time to three or more hours for
a complete assessment, including all primary, ancillary, and complementary indices.

History
The original WISC (Wechsler, 1949) was an adaption of several of the subtests that made up the
Wechsler–Bellevue Intelligence Scale (Wechsler, 1939) but also featured several subtests designed
specifically for it. The subtests were organized into Verbal and Performance scales and provided scores
for Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ), and Full Scale IQ (FSIQ).

Each successive edition has re-normed the test to compensate for the Flynn effect, ensuring not only
that the norms do not become outdated which is suggested to result in inflated scores on intelligence
measures, but that they are representative of the current population (Flynn, 1984, 1987, 1999;
Matarazzo, 1972). Additional updates and refinements include changes to the questions to make them
less biased against minorities and females and updated materials to make them more useful in the
administration of the test. A revised edition was published in 1974 as the WISC-R (Wechsler, 1974),
featuring the same subtests. However, the age range was changed from 5-15 to 6-16.
The third edition was published in 1991 (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991) and brought with it a new subtest as
a measure of processing speed. In addition to the traditional VIQ, PIQ, and FSIQ scores, four new index
scores were introduced to represent more narrow domains of cognitive function: the Verbal
Comprehension Index (VCI), the Perceptual Organization Index (POI), the Freedom from Distractibility
Index (FDI), and the Processing Speed Index (PSI).

The WISC-IV was produced in 2003. The WISC-V was published in 2014. The WISC-V has a total of 21
subtests. It yields 15 composite scores.

TEST FORMAT
The WISC is one test in a suite of Wechsler intelligence scales. Subjects 16 and over are tested with the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), and children ages two years and six months to seven years and
seven months are tested with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). There is
some overlap between tests: children aged 6 years 0 months through 7 years 7 months can complete
the WPPSI or the WISC; children aged 16 can complete the WISC-V or the WAIS-IV. Different floor effect
and ceiling effect can be achieved using the different tests, allowing for a greater understanding of the
child's abilities or deficits. This means that a 16-year-old adolescent who has an intellectual disability
may be tested using the WISC-V so that the clinician may see the floor of their knowledge (the lowest
level).

There are five primary index scores, the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Visual Spatial Index (VSI),
Fluid Reasoning Index (FRI), Working Memory Index (WMI), and Processing Speed Index (PSI). Two
subtests must be administered to obtain each of the primary index scores; thus, a total of 10 subtests
are primary subtests. The Full Scale IQ is derived from 7 of the 10 primary subtests: Both Verbal
Comprehension subtests, one Visual Spatial subtest, two Fluid Reasoning subtests, one Working
Memory subtest, and one Processing Speed subtest. Verbal Comprehension and Fluid Reasoning are
weighted more heavily in the Full Scale IQ to reflect the importance of crystallized and fluid abilities in
modern intelligence models (Wechsler, 2014).

The VCI is derived from the Similarities and Vocabulary subtests. The Verbal Comprehension scale
subtests are described below:

Similarities – (primary, FSIQ) asking how two words are alike/similar.

Vocabulary – (primary, FSIQ) examinee is asked to define a provided word

Information (secondary) – general knowledge questions.

Comprehension – (secondary) questions about social situations or common concepts.

The VCI is an overall measure of verbal concept formation (the child's ability to verbally reason) and is
influenced by semantic knowledge.

The VSI is derived from the Block Design and Visual Puzzles subtests. These subtests are as follows:

Block Design (primary, FSIQ) – children put together red-and-white blocks in a pattern according to a
displayed model. This is timed, and some of the more difficult puzzles award bonuses for speed.

Visual Puzzles (primary) – children view a puzzle in a stimulus book and choose from among pieces of
which three could construct the puzzle.

The VSI is a measure of visual spatial processing.

The FRI is derived from the Matrix Reasoning and Figure Weights subtests. The Fluid Reasoning scale
subtests are described below:

Matrix Reasoning (primary, FSIQ) – children are shown an array of pictures with one missing square,
and select the picture that fits the array from five options.

Figure Weights (primary, FSIQ) – children view a stimulus book that pictures shapes on a scale (or
scales) with one empty side and select the choice that keeps the scale balanced.

Picture Concepts (secondary) – children are provided with a series of pictures presented in rows (either
two or three rows) and asked to determine which pictures go together, one from each row.

Arithmetic (secondary) – orally administered arithmetic questions. Timed.

The FRI is a measure of inductive and quantitative reasoning.

The WMI is derived from the Digit Span and Picture Span subtests. The Working Memory scale's subtests
are as follows:
Digit Span (primary, FSIQ) – children are given sequences of numbers orally and asked to repeat them,
as heard and in reverse order.

Picture Span (primary) – children view pictures in a stimulus book and select from options to indicate
the pictures they saw, in order if possible.

Letter-Number Sequencing (secondary) – children are provided a series of numbers and letters and
asked to provide them to the examiner in a predetermined order.

The WMI is a measure of working memory ability.

The PSI is derived from the Coding and Symbol Search subtests. The Processing Speed subtests are as
follows:

Coding (primary, FSIQ) – children under 8 mark rows of shapes with different lines according to a code,
children over 8 transcribe a digit-symbol code. The task is time-limited with bonuses for speed.

Symbol Search (primary) – children are given rows of symbols and target symbols, and asked to mark
whether or not the target symbols appear in each row.

Cancellation (secondary) – children scan random and structured arrangements of pictures and marks
specific target pictures within a limited amount of time.

The PSI is a measure of processing speed.

The 2014 publication of the WISC-V contained five ancillary index scores that may be derived for special
clinical purposes or situations: the Quantitative Reasoning Index (QRI), the Auditory Working Memory
Index (AWMI), the Nonverbal Index (NVI), the General Ability Index (GAI), and the Cognitive Proficiency
Index (CPI). Three of these ancillary index scores (NVI, GAI, and CPI) can be derived from the 10 primary
subtests. The QRI and the AWMI can each be derived by administering one additional subtest from
subtests that are within one of the five primary scales (Verbal Comprehension scale, Visual Spatial Index,
Fluid Reasoning scale, Working Memory scale, and Processing Speed scale) but are not primary. The set
of these subtests is termed secondary subtests (Wechsler, 2014).