The Validity of the Subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children with Five and Six Year Olds

Abstract

The problem of this thesis is to determine to what extent the subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) are correlated with the Revised Stanford-Binet and to ascertain whether the mean of each subtest approximates a weighted score value of ten. The Revised Stanford-Binet has been used for years as the basic instrument in measuring general intelligence. Extensive research has been carried out on this test and clinicians in general regard it as very useful. The Stanford-Binet yields reliable mental ages and intelligence quotients which have served to indicate potentialities of future development. The WISC, on the other hand, is a comparatively new scale. It is a point scale which includes a performance as well as a verbal scale. This latter feature caused psychologists to accept this new test with enthusiasm because they hoped it would answer many of their criticisms of the Stanford-Binet. However, it is necessary to substantiate clinical impressions of any new instrument. Detailed and comprehensive studies of the WI SC must be made in order to determine its validity and to evaluate its specific merits. Even aside from validity it is important for clinical practise to know to what degree any two instruments are correlated. Therefore, it is the main purpose of this thesis to determine the validity of the subtests of the WISC with five and six year old children, using the Revised Stanford- Binet as the criterion. It has frequently occurred to the writer that the WISC is inclined to underrate the children, particularly in the younger age groups. This opinion was strengthened after reading various studies on its validity. In every instance this scale under-estimated the children's ability, especially at the five year level.