What does the Figure Weights task measure?
Figure Weights In the Figure Weights task, an examinee views scales with missing weights and selects the response option that is best suited to keep the scales balanced. It is reported in the WAIS-IV Technical Manual that the Figure Weights task measures quantitative and analogical reasoning [ 8 ].
What is the Figure Weights practice for WISC®-V test ebook?
The Figure Weights Practice for WISC® -V Test ebook provides true-to-test exercises for the figure weights subtest of the WISC-V test. PLEASE NOTE: The contents of this book are included in the Preparation Kit for the WISC-V and the New Subtests Workbook for the WISC-V.
How is the Figure Weights subtest similar to Piagetian balance beam tasks?
The Figure Weights subtest is similar in design to Piagetian balance beam tasks [ 6 ]. Finally, the new Cancellation subtest requires examinees to distinguish the color and shape of stimuli and identify target shapes via manual crossing through of items.
Is Figure Weights impaired in WAIS-IV?
In contrast, Figure Weights was severely impaired implying a strong dependence on right hemisphere networks for this subtest (Table 10 ). Description of participant no. 5’s WAIS-IV subtest profile. Finally, Cancellation was unimpaired despite the large and extensive right parietal lesion.
What do the WISC subtests measure?
The WISC-IV measures intellectual ability of children from 6 to 16 years. It was developed to provide an overall measure of general cognitive ability, and also measures of intellectual functioning in Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Reasoning (PR), Working Memory (WM) and Processing Speed (PS).
What does the Matrix reasoning subtest measure?
Matrix Reasoning measures visual processing and abstract, spatial perception and may be influenced by concentration, attention, and persistence.
What does immediate symbol translation measure?
Symbol Translation Index The subtest consists of three conditions: immediate, delayed, and recognition. In the Immediate Symbol Translation (IST) subtests the child learns visual–verbal pairs and then translates symbol strings into phrases or sentences.
What does the figure weights subtest measure on the WISC-V?
Figure Weights: A new Fluid Reasoning subtest that measures quantitative reasoning and induction. Within a specified time limit, the child views a scale with missing weight(s) and selects the response option that keeps the scale balanced.
What is the difference between matrix reasoning and figure weights?
In the Matrix Reasoning subtest the content is essentially geometrical, whereas in the Figure Weights subtest it is mainly numerical. The Working Memory Index (WMI) allows for the assessment of what is called the general memory ability in the CHC model.
Which subtest measures short term memory?
Digit Span measures short-term auditory memory and attention. The digits have no logical relationship to each other and are presented in random order by the examiner.
Which WISC task measures working memory?
On the WISC-IV, working memory is measured by the Working Memory Index or WMI.
What does visual spatial index measure?
Visual-Spatial Index The VSI measures the child's ability to evaluate visual details and to understand visual spatial relationships to construct geometric designs from a model.
What does the Matrix reasoning subtest measure Wisc V?
Matrix Reasoning measures visual processing and abstract, spatial perception and may be influenced by concentration, attention, and persistence. Matrix Reasoning is an untimed core Perceptual Reasoning subtest.
What does Matrix reasoning measure on the WAIS IV?
It measures the retrieval from long-term memory of such information. This index reflects an individual's ability to accurately interpret, organize and think with visual information.
What is a matrix reasoning task?
Called the University of California Matrix Reasoning Task, or UCMRT, the user-friendly test measures abstract problem-solving ability and works on tablets and other mobile devices.
What does a low matrix reasoning score mean?
An average to low score on Matrix Reasoning may demonstrate mild problems processing visual stimuli and some difficulties with nonverbal reasoning skills. To increase PRI, general teaching methods that consist of making visual-motor tasks easier for the student should be used.
What is the visual puzzle subtest?
In the Visual Puzzles subtest, examinees are required to view a completed puzzle and select three elements from 6 stimulus shapes that can be combined in their mind's eye via edge completion to form the gestalt puzzle. In the Figure Weights subtest quantitative reasoning skills are required to select the appropriate missing weights needed to balance a scale. The Figure Weights subtest is similar in design to Piagetian balance beam tasks [ 6 ]. Finally, the new Cancellation subtest requires examinees to distinguish the color and shape of stimuli and identify target shapes via manual crossing through of items. Benson and colleagues showed that the Figure Weights, Visual Puzzles, and Cancellation's loadings on the general factor were 0.78, 0.68, and 0.37, respectively [ 1 ]. Figure Weight's g loading was the highest of all of the 15 WAIS-IV subtests and the next highest loading subtests included Arithmetic (0.75), Vocabulary (0.74), and Similarities and Block Design (both at 0.70). The lowest loading subtest in the WAIS-IV is Cancellation at 0.37, and it is construed as primarily a measure of processing speed. The Cancellation subtest should theoretically also constitute a good means of assessing visual field neglect. Visual field neglect can adversely affect any number of higher-order cognitive functions. Also of interest was that Block Design has been supplanted by Figure Weights in the WAIS-IV as the highest loading nonverbal subtest.
What is balance beam test?
The balance beam test is a well-known Piagetian task [ 18 ], and successful performance on it has been classically considered to be an indicator of the development of formal stage of operations. In his review, Carroll notes that Piagetian reasoning tasks correlate most highly with the general intelligence factor and then with fluid intelligence factor and subsequently with crystallized intelligence [ 3 ]. de Ribaupierre and Lecerf found that working memory explained more than 80% of the age-related variance in performance on these types of Piagetian tasks in adults [ 6 ]. These developmental psychologists have shown that Piagetian tasks are relatively pure measures of fluid intelligence and are relatively less influenced by knowledge base and strategies. Recent psychometric studies showed that Figure Weights is the highest loading fluid intelligence subtest in the WAIS-IV battery and that it can be best described as a combination of quantitative reasoning and fluid intelligence [ 1 ]. A quantitative reasoning composite score on the WAIS-IV was further characterized in a 1 : 1 equation of Figure Weights and the Arithmetic subtests by these authors [ 1 ].
What is the WAIS IV?
In the WAIS-IV, these abilities include measures of crystallized intelligence (Gc), fluid reasoning (Gf), general spatial visualization (Gv), short-term memory (Gsm), and processing speed (Gs). The WAIS-IV also provides a measure of quantitative reasoning (QR) at Stratum II unlike other intelligence tests.
Which participant performed significantly higher on the Processing Speed Index compared to the Verbal Working Memory Index?
Participant 2 performed significantly higher on the Processing Speed Index compared to the Verbal Working Memory Index ( P < .05) see Table 3. Verbal working memory has been previously shown to involve left lateral prefrontal and left parietal neural substrates [ 56 ], and consistent with these findings, portions of the left superior prefrontal cortex were unambiguously damaged in participant 2 ( Figure 2 ).
What is the purpose of the subtest?
The subtest was developed to measure non-verbal reasoning and the ability to understand abstract visual information.
How many subtests are there in WISC IV?
The WISC-IV has 15 subtests, 10 of which are core subtests that are usually used to measure the four index scores and Full Scale IQ. The other five are supplemen-tary subtests that can be used if for some reason a core subtest cannot be used or is not appropriate for a particular child.
What is the purpose of the Peach and Apple test?
The test is designed to assess verbal reasoning and the development of concepts.
Can intellectual ability be measured?
It is a central theme of the book that true intellectual ability cannot be measured accurately in the low range. It follows from this that we should not be using cut-off points in diagnosis or making statements about what an individual’s IQ is without a lot of qualification with regard to the test error. However, as things are at the moment, with intellectual disability still being defined in terms of an IQ cut-off point, it is likely that psycho logists will be called upon to make an estimate of what somebody’s true intellectual ability is. What I want to do in this appendix is to look at how we can get the best estimate of an individual’s true intellectual ability.
What is the Wechsler scale?
Older children and adults are tested using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). You can read more about the WISC-IV here. There are 15 subtests on the WISC-IV but they may not all be used. In addition to subtest scores a combined composite ...
What numbers do you read in a forward tester?
For Digit Span forward tester would read numbers like "2, 3, 9, 1"
What is the digit span?
Digit Span measures short-term auditory memory and attention. The digits have no logical relationship to each other and are presented in random order by the examiner. The student must then recite the digits correctly by recalling them in the same order. On the second part of this subtest the student must remember the order in which digits are presented, but recite them in reverse order.
What is the STI test?
The Symbol Translation Index (STI) provides a broad estimate of visual-verbal associative memory. The STI is based on the Immediate Symbol Translation (IST), Delayed Symbol Translation (DST), andRecognition Symbol Translation (RST) subtest scores. She was shown symbols and taught the word thateach symbol represented (i.e., visual-verbal pairs). She was then asked to translate symbol strings intophrases or sentences immediately (IST), after a 20-30 minute delay (DST), and in a multiple-choicerecognition format (RST). These measures enhance the assessment of children suspected of havinglearning problems or declarative memory impairment, rather than the measurement of overallintellectual ability. When interpreting her Symbol Translation subtest scores, it is important to rememberthat DST and RST performance are dependent upon that of IST. Although Sample's overall performancewas Very High compared to same-age peers (STI = 128, PR = 97, CI = 120-133), she showed somevariability across these three tasks. While her performance on the immediate recall task was ExtremelyHigh for her age (IST = 138), her performance was significantly weaker on the delayed recognition task,falling in the High Average range (RST = 112; IST > RST; BR = 3.5%). This pattern suggests that shevery easily recalls information as soon as she learns it, but has greater difficulty recognizing thatinformation after a delay or interruption. Sample's performance on the immediate recall and delayedrecall tasks was consistent. This suggests that her immediate and delayed recall within visual-verbalassociative memory are commensurate. She very easily recalls information as soon as she learns it andeasily recalls information after a delay or interruption. Sample's performance on the delayed recall anddelayed recognition tasks was consistent. This suggests that her delayed recall and delayed recognitionwithin visual-verbal associative memory are commensurate. She is able to access the informationencoded into delayed memory. She easily recalls information after a delay and somewhat easilyrecognizes information after a delay or interruption. High STI scores indicate well-developed encodingand retrieval of newly learned visual-verbal associations after short and long delays. An NSI vs. STIdiscrepancy comparison offers insight regarding her relative strengths and weaknesses within the storageand retrieval domain. Her STI score was significantly stronger than her performance on the NSI (STI >NSI; BR = 4.0%). This suggests that learning and memory for recently acquired visual-verbalassociations is a strength relative to rapid access of previously acquired visual-verbal associations.Sample's ability to store and accurately retrieve information is stronger than her naming fluency andautomaticity.
What is fluid reasoning index?
The Fluid Reasoning Index (FRI) measured Sample's ability to detect the underlying conceptualrelationship among visual objects and use reasoning to identify and apply rules. Identification andapplication of conceptual relationships in the FRI requires inductive and quantitative reasoning, broadvisual intelligence, simultaneous processing, and abstract thinking. Sample's performance on the FRIwas diverse, but overall was extremely strong for her age (FRI = 131, PR = 98, Extremely High range,CI = 122-136). High FRI scores indicate a well-developed ability to abstract conceptual informationfrom visual details and to effectively apply that knowledge. Her performance on fluid reasoning taskswas particularly strong when compared to her performance on tasks that involved visual spatial skills(FRI > VSI, BR = 9.0%). While subtests in both the FRI and VSI include visual stimuli, fluid reasoningsubtests can be solved using logic, whereas visual spatial subtests require primarily visual spatialprocessing. Sample's relatively stronger fluid reasoning performance suggests that she makes sense ofvisual information more easily when it follows a logical pattern. She is better able to understand therelationship of visual information to abstract concepts than she is to use visual and spatial informationfor design construction. Moreover, her overall performance on the FRI was stronger than performanceon tasks that measured working memory (FRI > WMI, BR = 13.5%). It appears that she is well able tosolve complex problems despite having difficulty on other tasks.
What is SRI in math?
The Storage and Retrieval Index (SRI) provides a broad estimate of Sample's long-term storage andretrieval accuracy and fluency. Her ability to store and accurately retrieve information from long-termmemory impacts her reading, writing, and math performance. While her scores on the SRI were diverse,her overall performance was slightly below other children her age (SRI = 82, PR = 12, Low Averagerange, CI = 76-90). The SRI is based on the sum of scores for the Naming Speed Index (NSI) and theSymbol Translation Index (STI), each measuring unique aspects regarding the storage and retrieval ofinformation from long-term memory. Low SRI scores can occur for many reasons, including difficultyencoding and/or retrieving information from long-term memory, difficulty acquiring new information,slow processing speed, visual and/or language processing deficits, and/or inattentiveness.
What is a FSIQ score?
This score is typically considered the most representative indicator of general intellectualfunctioning. Subtests are drawn from five areas of cognitive ability: verbal comprehension, visualspatial, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. Sample's FSIQ score is in theExtremely High range when compared to other children her age (FSIQ = 132, PR = 98, CI = 125-136).Although the WISC-V measures various aspects of ability, a child's scores on this test can also beinfluenced by many factors that are not captured in this report. When interpreting this report, consideradditional sources of information that may not be reflected in the scores on this assessment. While theFSIQ provides a broad representation of cognitive ability, describing Sample's domain-specificperformance allows for a more thorough understanding of her functioning in distinct areas. Somechildren perform at approximately the same level in all of these areas, but many others display areas ofcognitive strengths and weaknesses.
What is the auditory working memory index?
The Auditory Working Memory Index (AWMI) is derived from the sum of scaled scores for the DigitSpan and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests. These subtests required Sample to listen to numbers andletters presented verbally, then recall or sequence them aloud. This index score measured her ability toregister, maintain, and manipulate verbally-presented information. Her overall auditory workingmemory performance was extremely strong for her age (AWMI = 139, PR = 99.5, Extremely Highrange, CI = 129-144). High scores in this area indicate a well-developed ability to temporarily store,rehearse, and manipulate verbally-presented information using the phonological loop. Although theWMI is derived from subtests that employ both verbal and nonverbal domains, the AWMI is moreverbally loaded. The WMI-AWMI comparison provides insight regarding the impact of visual versusauditory domain specificity on working memory functioning. Sample's performance suggests thatpresenting information verbally, rather than visually, may improve her working memory functioning(WMI < AWMI, BR = 0.5%). Sample exhibited inconsistent performance across the two subtests thatcontribute to the AWMI. On Letter-Number Sequencing items, Sample was read a string of numbers andletters. She was then asked to recall the numbers in ascending order and the letters in alphabetical order.She excelled on this task (LN = 19); however, she showed greater difficulty on Digit Span items, whichrequired her to listen and recall a string of numbers in forward, backward, or ascending order (DS = 15).This pattern of performance suggests that on the Digit Span subtest, Sample may have experiencedproblems with concentration and/or motivation during administration or she might have had difficultysequencing the longer strings of numbers. Alternately, her performance on Letter-Number Sequencingmay have been higher due to previous exposure to a similar task, Digit Span Sequencing, which waspresented during Digit Span. She was able to readily improve with practice when progressing acrossthese two tasks. It is also possible that she may have been more engaged during the Letter-NumberSequencing subtest due to the dual-stimulus demands of the task. The Digit Span Sequencing (DSs) andLetter-Number Sequencing (LN) discrepancy comparison provides information regarding Sample'sperformance across a pair of working memory tasks with single-stimulus versus dual-stimulus demands.The DSs task required her to reorder a series of numbers in ascending order, whereas the LN subtestrequired her to simultaneously reorder a series of numbers and letters in alphabetical and ascendingorder, respectively (DSs = 15; LN = 19). Sample's performance across these two working memory taskswas inconsistent, indicating that she was confused by the requirement to repeat numbers on some trialsof DSs or she had difficulty with reordering longer spans of numbers. Alternately, because DSs precedesLN in administration order, her results may also indicate that she easily learns to employ successfulstrategies while progressing across tasks or readily improves with experience and practice. Becauserepetition of trials is not permitted on the Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests, adiscrepancy in either direction might also suggest that she experienced a lapse in attention or motivationduring the task with the lower score.
Abstract
Introduction
- The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition released in 2008 is the most current edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales dating from the initial Wechsler-Bellevue first published in 1939 [1]. Loring and Bauer note that the conormed Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales and the Wechsler Memory Scales are the two most common psychological tests used in clinical care an…
Materials and Methods
- In this study, five subjects with well-characterized stroke and/or surgical resection lesions were referred by physiatrists, neurologists or neurosurgeons, for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. The patients were consecutively recruited into the study over an eight-month period (April of 2010 to January of 2011) at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina, Canada. This …
Results
- Participant 1 was a 57-year-old right-handed female with one year of college that had sustained a severe left temporoparietal stroke as a result of left middle cerebral artery occlusion (Figure 1). She was assessed 10 months after stroke, and her initial premorbid FSIQ was estimated to be in the average range (104). She showed resolution of an initial global aphasia into a persistent Bro…
Discussion
- In this study, five patients with large strokes or cortical excisions were evaluated with the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre’s Standard Neuropsychological Battery. The administered tests included the WAIS-IV, WMS-IV, and the Advanced Clinical Solutions battery. Participants were also examined with a selection of executive function and attention measures as well as tests of sens…
Conclusions
- The data and literature review suggest that Visual Puzzles appears to be reliant on crossed decussated right hemisphere and left cerebellar networks as well as left parietal regions. Both visual and verbal strategies can be used to perform these mental rotation types of tasks suggesting some degree of dual hemispheric processing. However in Visual Puzzles few if any …
Acknowledgments
- This research was approved by the Research and Performance Support institutional review committee of the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina, Canada. All research participants provided their informed written consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. We thank the research participants for participating in this stud…