Measures of Intelligences IQ Therese McMullen Anna Yiantsos

What is intelligence? An inferred ability; to explain differences in present behavior and to predict differences in future behavior. It is a general ability that enables people to do many different things.

Intelligence Theory of multiple intelligences Heredity Learn through experiences Today most theorists recognize the importance of both heredity and experience.

Today Intelligence test results are used to determine eligibility for special services. School Psychologists are trained professionals who administer Intelligence Tests. IQ tests are helpful in providing general information as to how to pace instruction.

Acculturation A child’s background experiences and learning opportunities that they already have. Culture Experiences available in one’s environment Age …..that may influence the psychological demands presented by the test. ***Failure is NOT due to an inability to comprehend or solve a problem, but a deficiency in background experience***

Behaviors Sampled by Intelligence Tests Discrimination: identify the item that is different from the others Generalization: given a stimulus, identify from a group the one that goes with the stimulus Motor Behavior: requires motor response in duplicating a geometric design using blocks General Knowledge: factual questions Vocabulary: naming pictures or reading a definition and selecting a picture (depending on age)

Behaviors Sampled by Intelligence Tests Induction: State a rule or principle from a series of objects Comprehension: 3 types; directions, printed material, social mores Sequencing: identify the response that continues a series Detail Recognition: identify the missing parts of a picture Analogical Reasoning: How things are related to each other “A : B :: C : _____?

Behaviors Sampled by Intelligence Tests Pattern Completion: completing a pattern or identifying a missing part of a pattern Abstract Reasoning: identify the absurdity in a picture or verbal statement Memory: many different assessments are used to measure memory, ex. verbatim repetition of a sentence or series of numbers

Three types of Intelligence Tests Individual Tests: test given one on one by a certified evaluator; most commonly used for educational placement decisions Group Tests: given to a large group or whole class; administered by teachers as a screening process to determine who differs from the average and needs a closer look or individual test

Three types of Intelligence Tests Nonverbal Intelligence Tests: Picture- Vocabulary test; Administered to non-readers, ELL’s and hearing impaired * This test measures only one aspect of intelligence and should not be used to determine eligibility for special services.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) Developed by David Wechsler in 1949, is has since had several revisions. Wechsler states, “intelligence is the overall capacity of an individual to understand and cope with the world around him.” The test is a measure of the cognitive ability and problem-solving process of a person ages 6 years – 16 years 11 months.

WISC-IV Normal Curve:

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) Subtests; Core and Supplemental*: Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) Similarities, Vocabulary, comprehension, information*, and word reasoning* Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) Block Design, Picture Concepts, Matrix Reasoning, Picture Completion Working Memory Index (WMI) Digital span, Letter-Number Sequencing, Arithmetic* Processing Speed Index (PSI) *Coding, Symbol Search, Cancellation*

WISC-IV Full-Scale IQ

Reliability of The full-scale IQ (FSIQ) is reliable enough to make important educational decisions. There is not enough information gathered from the subtests alone to make the educational decisions.

Validity When using the WISC-VI to determine educational needs for a student, examiners should only use FSIQ when making these decisions.

Block Design timed test sample 2 minutes 9 blocks

Picture Concepts Pick one picture from each row with common characteristics

Cancellation

Matrix Reasoning

Picture Completion Look at this picture. What part is missing?

Conclusion The WISC-IV is the most commonly used to test for FSIQ. The WJ-III is used to test achievement and then compared to the ability scored on the WISC-IV.

Woodcock-Johnson III : Normative Update (WJ-III NU) Measures general intellectual ability , specific cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitudes, oral language and achievement. Individually administered and norm-referenced For ages 2-90+ Computer scored Each Test Record contains a seven-category Test Session Observation Checklist to rate a student’s conversational proficiency, cooperation, activity, attention and concentration, self-confidence, care in responding and response to difficult tasks.

WJ-III NU Tests of Cognitive Abilities 20 subtests measuring broad and narrow abilities Comprehension-knowledge, long-term retrieval, visual-spatial thinking, auditory processing, fluid reasoning, processing speed, short-term memory. Subtests can be combined to create additional clusters for verbal ability, thinking ability, cognitive efficiency, phonemic awareness and working memory. Additional supplemental subtests create more clusters, broad attention, cognitive fluency and executive processes

WJ-III NU Tests of Achievement 22 tests can be combined to form several clusters Subtests and clusters from the standard battery can be combined to form scores for broad areas in reading, math and writing Oral expression, listening comprehension, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, phoneme/grapheme knowledge, math calculation skills, math reasoning, written expression

Reliability of WJ-III NU Individual tests are combined to provide clusters for educational decision making Cluster reliabilities for some age groups are less than .90 All median reliabilities across age groups for the standard and broad cognitive and achievement clusters exceed .90 Adequate

Validity of WJ-III NU Careful item selection is consistent with claims for the content validity of both tests Studies using a broad range of individuals provides evidence for validity For the Cognitive Ability Tests, the correlations between the WJ-III General Intellectual Ability score and the WISC-III Full-Scale IQ range from .69 to .73 For the Achievement Tests, the pattern and magnitude of correlations between the Wechsler Individual tests suggest that the WJ-III measures the same skills similar to those measured by other achievement tests…adequate

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition (PPVT-4) A non-timed test primarily given to younger children and ELL’s Assesses the receptive(hearing) vocabulary of examinees It consists of stimuli sets of 12 and examinees are tested at their ability or age level As part of a broader assessment, can be useful in evaluating language competence, selecting the level and content of instruction and measuring learning The assessment of vocabulary is also useful when evaluating the effects of injury or disease It is individually administered using an easel Available in Spanish

Scores of PPVT-4 Examinees earn a raw score based on the number of pictures correctly identified between basal and ceiling items Basal - the lowest set administered that contains one or no errors Ceiling – the highest set administered that contains eight or more errors Testing is discontinued once a ceiling is established

Reliability of PPVT-4 Multiple kinds of reliability are reported The scores of a PPVT-4 test are very precise and consistent Data also included on the testing and performance of students with disabilities

Validity of PPVT-4 Five studies were conducted and indicate that there is adequate validity Slightly lower correlations were found on assessments that measured broader areas of language than primarily vocabulary Data is also provided on how students with speech and language impairments, hearing impairments, specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, giftedness, emotional/behavioral disturbances and ADHD, perform in relation to the general population Results indicate the value of the PPVT-4 in assessing these special populations

Conclusion Assessing children’s IQ is controversial Intelligence tests assess samples of behavior Different intelligence tests sample different behaviors Educators must always ask “IQ on what test?” Test authors have their own definitions of intelligence and therefore test those items/behaviors they feel represent their definition When interpreting intelligence scores, avoid making judgments that suggest that the score represents much more than the specific behaviors sampled The quality of measurement can be affected by several different types of student characteristics and therefore must be taken into consideration

Remember…. “Many of the behaviors sampled on intelligence tests are more indicative of actual achievement than ability to achieve.” For example, “students who have had more opportunities to learn and achieve are likely to perform better than those who have had less exposure to information, even if they both have the same overall potential to learn.” “Intelligence tests are by no means a pure representation of a student’s ability to learn.”