Week 9 - Intelligence Tests

What are the two main formats of intelligence testing?

Individually administered and group-administered tests.

Why might individual intelligence tests be preferred in clinical contexts?

They provide extra clinical information, such as test behaviour, motivation, fatigue, and can account for individual needs.

When are individual intelligence tests essential?

For young children and anyone with mental health issues, head injury, neurodiversity, learning disorders, intellectual disability, or developmental delays.

What are the advantages of group-administered intelligence tests?

Efficient, easy to score/administer, require less training, reliable, and have large standardisation samples.

What are the disadvantages of group-administered intelligence tests?

Hard to monitor motivation/anxiety, poor rapport, limited response formats, and not equally suitable for all test-takers.

What do intelligence tests aim to measure?

General cognitive ability and broad potential for future performance.

What do achievement tests aim to assess?

What has been learned after specific instruction or training.

What do aptitude tests aim to assess?

Potential to learn specific skills or knowledge in the future.

What was the original purpose of Binet's intelligence test (1905)?

To identify children needing special education support.

How did Binet define intelligence?

The ability to set goals, adapt strategies, and self-evaluate strategies to achieve goals.

What key abilities did Binet’s tasks measure [components of intelligence]?

Judgement, attention, and reasoning.

What is Binet’s Principle of Age Differentiation?

Identifying tasks 66–75% of children at a given age can complete to estimate mental age independent of chronological age

What is Binet’s Principle of General Mental Ability?

Measuring overall cognitive functioning (g factor), not specific abilities.

What were limitations of the 1905 Binet-Simon Scale?

lacked adequate measuring units, limited normative data (only 50 kids), and lacked validity evidence.

The Simon-Binet (1905) consisted of what?

30 items (increasing difficulty)

In constructing his intelligence test (1905) Simon Binet was able to what?

Effectively determined what he wanted to measure & items for this purpose

What key feature was introduced in the 1908 Binet scale?

Mental age — performance compared to average at a given chronological age.

In comparison to the 1905 scale, how were items ordered in the 1908 scale?

Grouped items by age level (age scale format)

What innovation did the 1916 Stanford-Binet introduce?

The IQ formula: IQ = (Mental Age / Chronological Age) × 100.

How was IQ interpreted in the 1916 Stanford-Binet?

IQ = 100 if mental = chronological age; <100 if below; >100 if above.

The standardisation sample for the 1916 Stanford-Binet test was _______ but consisted of ______________.

larger, white children from California

Did the 1916 Stanford-Binet retain Binet’s principles?

yes, (age differentiation, general mental ability, mental age, age scale).

What was a significant improvement of the 1937 Stanford-Binet?

Non-verbal/ Performance items were added to reduce reliance on verbal skills.

In which Binet edition were alternate forms (L & M) first added?

They were added in 1937 for reliability testing.

What was the standardisation sample like in the 1937 Stanford-Binet scale?

Had a larger standardisation sample but was mostly white and people from urban areas.

The 1937 Stanford-Binet scale had lower reliability for ______ with ______ IQs

younger children, higher

What major problem with standardisation did the 1937 Stanford-Binet scale have?

Inconsistent SDs across age groups—IQs not equivalent between ages

What was a major contribution of the 1960 Stanford-Binet Scale?

Solved unequal variability problem by standardising scores (M = 100, SD = 16) to enable fair comparisons across age groups (deviation IQ)

In which rendition of the Stanford-Binet Scale was the Deviation IQ introduced?

1960 Stanford-Binet

What was done with alternate forms L & M in the 1960 Stanford-Binet scale?

The best tasks from each were combined

What was rejected in the 1960 Stanford-Binet scale?

The concept of the IQ.

What approach was used in the 2003 Stanford-Binet 5th Edition?

Combined point scale (routing subtests for verbal/nonverbal ability) & age scale (8 subtests grouped by typical age-level performance). ⇒ 10 total subtests 

What are the 5 factors measured in SB5?

Fluid reasoning, knowledge, visual-spatial processing, working memory, quantitative reasoning.

What does the routing procedure of the Stanford-Binet entail?

Determines starting point (cut down time & fatigue)

What scoring metrics are used in SB5?

Standard scores (M = 100, SD = 15) and subtest scaled scores (M = 10, SD = 3).

What is the age range and IQ range of SB5?

Ages 2–85+; IQ range 40–160.

How was SB5 standardized?

Sample of 4800 stratified by age, gender, ethnicity, region, education + 3000 clinical cases.

How reliable and valid is SB5?

High reliability (.98 FSIQ) and strong validity (correlates ~.80s with Wechsler tests).

When was the Wechsler Intelligence Scale first developed?

1939

Why did the Wechsler Scales progressively replace the Stanford-Binet test?

They offered a more balanced and flexible structure, especially addressing verbal bias.

What type of scale do the Wechsler tests use?

A point scale — items grouped by content, with points earned contributing to total and subscale scores.

What major innovation did Wechsler introduce?

A non-verbal performance scale to reduce cultural and verbal bias.

Why is standardising verbal and performance scales on the same population important in regards to the Weschler Intelligence Scales?

It allows valid comparisons across different ability areas.

How did Wechsler define intelligence?

The capacity to act purposefully, think rationally, and deal effectively with one’s environment.

What was Wechsler’s view of intelligence structure?

Intelligence reflects a global ability (g), but also consists of multiple specific abilities.

What is the WAIS-IV used for?

Individually administered test for assessing intelligence and cognitive abilities in ages 16–90.

In which settings is the WAIS-IV commonly used?

Clinical, educational, and research settings.

What are the 4 index scores of the WAIS-IV?

Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, Processing Speed.

What are the subtests of the Verbal Comprehension Index?

Information, Similarities and Vocabulary

What does Verbal Comprehension Index measure?

Verbal acquired knowledge, verbal reasoning, language skills, long-term memory retrieval.

What type of intelligence does Verbal Comprehension Index reflect?

Crystallised intelligence.

How sensitive is Verbal Comprehension Index to brain injury or mood disorders?

Less sensitive compared to other indices.

What are the subtests of the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI)?

Block Design, Visual Puzzles, Matrix Reasoning

What does the Perceptual Reasoning Index measure?

Nonverbal reasoning, fluid thinking, and visual information processing.

What skills does PRI require?

Visual interpretation, attention to detail, visual-motor integration, flexibility.

What are the subtests of the Working Memory index?

Arithmetic, digit span

What does the Working Memory Index measure?

Short-term and working memory (holding + manipulating verbal/auditory info).

What skills does the Working Memory Index require?

Attention, auditory discrimination, sequential processing, basic math.

What are the subtests of the Processing Speed index?

Symbol search and Coding

What does PSI measure?

Speed of visual processing and visual-motor coordination.

What tasks are involved in PSI?

Timed tasks needing visual scanning, motor control, and sustained attention.

What affects PSI performance?

Head injury, ADHD, learning disabilities, mood disorders, motivation.

How are WAIS-IV subtest raw scores interpreted?

Converted to scaled scores (M = 10, SD = 3) using age-based norms.

What is the mean and SD for WAIS-IV index scores?

Mean = 100, SD = 15.

What is FSIQ in WAIS-IV?

Full Scale IQ — sum of the four index scores representing general intelligence.

Why compare index scores (e.g., VIQ vs PIQ)?

To distinguish true deficits from other factors (e.g., education, language); highlights strengths/weaknesses.

Which WAIS-IV scores have the lowest Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)?

FSIQ (2.16), VCI (2.85) → highest score confidence.

What supports WAIS-IV’s validity?

Strong criterion & construct validity; factor analysis confirms 4-factor structure.

What ages is WISC-IV designed for?

Ages 6–16.

What are the 5 indexes of the WISC-IV?

Verbal comprehension, visual spatial, fluid reasoning, working memory, processing speed.

Key features of WISC-IV administration?

iPad-compatible, digital scoring/reporting, validated in clinical groups (e.g., ADHD, ASD).

Criticism of WISC-IV?

Use of pattern/index score comparisons is questionable.

What age range does WPPSI-IV cover?

2.5 to 7.7 years old.

What are WPPSI-IV’s main index scores?

Verbal comprehension, visual spatial, working memory.

Strengths of WPPSI-IV?

Flexible use, strong reliability/validity, links with adaptive functioning measures.