The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG: Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2014b) is a battery of carefully engineered tests for measuring cognitive abilities and intellectual level. The WJ IV COG was conormed with the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Oral Language (WJ IV OL; Schrank, Mather, & McGrew, 2014b), the WJ IV Tests of Achievement (WJ IV ACH; Schrank, Mather, & McGrew, 2014a) to form the complete Woodcock-Johnson IV (Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2014a). The three batteries can be used independently or together in any combination. When the entire system is used, comparisons can be made among an individual's cognitive abilities, oral language, and achievement scores. Normative data was obtained from a large, nationally representative sample of 7,416 individuals ranging in age from 2 to 90+ years of age. Although primarily recommended for use with school-age children, adolescents, college students, and adults, some of the WJ IV COG tests can be used selectively with preschool children. A conormed but separate battery of tests called the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Early Cognitive and Academic Development (WJ IV ECAD; Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2015b) is recommended for use with preschool children of ages 3 through 5 or with children of ages 6 through 9 who have a cognitive developmental delay.
The WJ IV COG is based on an update to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities as described by Schneider and McGrew (2012) and McGrew, LaForte, and Schrank (2014). Cognitive complexity has been infused within several new tests, and interpretive emphasis has been shifted to the most important abilities for learning, interventions, and accommodations.
This book is intended to help you understand the essentials of cognitive ability assessment using the WJ IV COG. Although interpretation of the WJ IV COG can be complex, this book is presented in an easy-to-read format. In one small guide, administration, scoring, and interpretation are addressed in simple language. The clinical and psychoeducational case report chapters are intended to help you understand the use and interpretation of the WJ IV with practical examples and illustrations. Throughout the book, important points are highlighted by āRapid Reference,ā āCaution,ā and āDon't Forgetā boxes. At the end of Chapters 1 to 5, āTest Yourselfā sections will help you assess your understanding of what you have read.
This chapter begins with a discussion of how the Woodcock-Johnson cognitive tests have evolved to become the most comprehensive battery of contemporary cognitive tests available to assessment professionals. The chapter ends with a summary of the technical characteristics of the WJ IV COG and a list of suggested resources for more information on the WJ IV COG.
History and Development
The WJ IV COG represents the fourth generation of the cognitive tests that originally formed Part One of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJPEB; Woodcock & Johnson, 1977). Initial work on the WJPEB begin in 1973, although some of the tests were developed prior to that date. The first revision, the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational BatteryāRevised (Woodcock & Johnson, 1989a), was published in 1989. The Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001b) was published in 2001. The WJ IV COG was published in 2014.
1977: The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery
The WJPEB began as one battery that consisted of three parts: Tests of Cognitive Ability, Tests of Achievement, and Tests of Interest Level. Initially, no overriding theoretical model guided development of the cognitive tests. Historically, test development began with a number of controlled experiments for measuring learning abilities. The first test constructed was Visual-Auditory Learning (Woodcock, 1958). Visual-Auditory Learning was the result of Woodcock's (1956) doctoral dissertation at the University of Oregon. Employing a set of reading rebuses, he developed the test to pr...
