Psychology
David Wechsler
David Wechsler was a prominent psychologist known for his work in intelligence testing. He developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), which are widely used to assess cognitive abilities. Wechsler's approach emphasized the importance of considering multiple aspects of intelligence, such as verbal and nonverbal skills, in evaluating an individual's cognitive functioning.
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8 Key excerpts on "David Wechsler"
eBook - PDFCulture and Children's Intelligence
Cross-Cultural Analysis of the WISC-III
- James Georgas, Lawrence G. Weiss, Fons J.R. van de Vijver, Donald H. Saklofske(Authors)
- 2003(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Further influences on Wechsler most certainly resulted from his studies with Spearman and Pearson in London. It was Spearman who was a strong propo-nent of a two-factor theory of intelligence with g or general mental ability at the apex, reflecting the various positive correlations between more limited and specific tests. As well, Wechsler served as a part-time consultant for The Psychological Corporation, founded by James McKeen Cattell in 1921 and then took a position administering intelligence, personality, and achievement tests for the New York Bureau of Child Guidance. The director was Bernard Glueck who had also noted the shortcomings of the Binet tests, probably due to his experiences with the Ellis Island screening program for new immigrants to the United States. Wechsler’s earliest views about intelligence tests were articulated in a paper published in 1926 entitled “The Influence of Education on Intelligence as Measured by the Binet-Simon Tests.” Following the completion of his Ph.D., also earned at Columbia University, Wechsler later accepted the position of chief psychologist at the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital. Apart from these specific influences, at least several other key events also helped to influence Dr. Wechsler. CRITICAL EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCE TESTS AND TESTING The considerable activity directed at developing and using tests to assess intel-ligence in the formative years of psychology as both a discipline and profession would have a significant impact on David Wechsler and on his views of intelligence assessment and the tests he developed (Boak, 2002; Tulsky, Saklofske, & Richer, 1. The Wechsler Scales for Assessing Children’s Intelligence 5 2003; Tulsky, Saklofske, & Zhu, 2003). There is ample evidence of attempts to measure intelligence that certainly predate the formation of psychology as a scien-tific discipline in the mid 1800s (Boak, 2002).
- David S. Tulsky, Donald H. Saklofske, Gordon J. Chelune, Robert K. Heaton, Robert J. Ivnik, Robert Bornstein, Aurelio Prifitera, Mark F. Ledbetter(Authors)
- 2003(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Psychometric testing developed rapidly during the W rst couple of decades of the 20 th century, but there has not been a signi W cant paradigm shift to force a major re-examination of psychological testing practices. Testing is similar in many ways to the techniques that were developed in the formative years of the last century. Thus, it is both striking how similar the Wechsler approach is to these early as-sessment methods and, how little has changed in the actual instruments and subtests. At the same time, there have been some signi W cant changes and improvements in testing practices over the years. Wechsler possessed the analytical skills and prac-tical experience needed to recognize the utility of various tasks for assessing intelligence and for addressing the needs of practitioners. He applied an innovative ap-proach to the assessment of intelligence and memory and this work lead to signi W cant advances in the W eld. The resulting advances made by Wechsler include: 1) collecting new normative data thereby co-norming a variety of well know clinical tasks, 2) targeting the stand- ardization e V orts on adults instead of children, 3) creating the W rst extensively normed clinically relevant memory battery, 4) restructuring the concept of intelligence by aggregating performance and verbal tasks, and 5) intro-ducing a deviation IQ methodology (instead of mental ages). Soon after the Wechsler Bellevue Intelligence Scale was published, it was becoming evident that Wechsler had indeed transformed psychology and psy-chological assessment practices. Chapter 1 provides the reader with an understanding of the forces that impacted on David Wechsler, prior to and during the development of the original Wechsler tests. The focus of Chapters 2 and 3 is on the WAIS-III and WMS-III, respectively.
- Amy Wenzel, Amy E. Wenzel(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
Wechsler viewed intelligence as the ability to behave in a purposeful manner, think in a rational way, and operate within one’s environment effectively. He believed that intelligence had real-world importance that was far-reaching. He asserted that the contributing factors of intelligence had both global and specific characteristics and that the sum of the factors’ operations was different from the whole in concert. Contemporary definitions of intelligence are strikingly similar to Wechsler’s original views. Intelligence is well supported as predictive of other important life outcomes in studies on job performance, mental and physical health, academic achievement, educational attainment, and even criminal involvement. In addition, general and specific domains of cognitive functioning have been proven important in understanding academic achievement and daily living in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Although it is unreasonable to expect any intelligence test to adequately measure all aspects of cognitive ability, Wechsler was successful in selecting measures that sampled a wide variety of domains (e.g., verbal comprehension, visual-spatial processing, reasoning, memory, quantitative ability, processing speed) that are empirically supported as important to cognitive functioning. Apart from these, Wechsler believed that goal-directedness, enthusiasm, and the abilities to plan, resist impulses, cope effectively with anxiety, and persist were also important determinants of intelligence.Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
The WAIS is individually administered and used to assess adolescents and adults from 16 to 90 years. It was created in 1955, based on the W-B, and its fourth edition was published in 2008. The WAIS has been adapted and translated for use in dozens of countries the world over.The test framework for the WAIS has been substantively revised across editions as new information has become available about the clinical utility of the scales, and as the fields of neurodevelopment, neuropsychology, and neuroscience have matured during the test’s existence. Contemporary models of intelligence also have been considered in the test design. For example, the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory, which has been the most empirically supported structural model since the mid-1990s, was influential in the development of the fourth edition.
eBook - PDFWISC-III Clinical Use and Interpretation
Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives
- Aurelio Prifitera, Donald H. Saklofske(Authors)
- 1998(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
His many years of experience with chil- I. WISC-III IN CONTEXT 5 dren and adults impressed upon him that intelligence is more than what we are able to measure with tests of psychometric-cognitive performance. Rather, he early discerned that intelligence is a global capacity of the individual and that it is a product of both the in- dividual's genetic makeup, on the one hand, and the individual's socio-educational experiences, drive, motivation, and personality predilections, on the other. Because of the complex interplay of these multiple influences, Wechsler avoided the role of an intelligence-tester or psychometrist-technician. Rather, as did Alfred Binet before him, Wechsler became a practitioner skilled in the art of psychological assessment. Psychologi- cal assessment is a clinical activity that employs test scores, but only as one of the sources from which an astute clinician develops a well-integrated and comprehensive psychologi- cal portrait of the adult or child examined. (Wechsler, 1991, p. iii). In his paper entitled Cognitive, Conative, and Non-Intellective Intelligence, Wechsler (1950) said, Factors other than intellectual contribute to achievement in areas where, as in the case of learning, intellectual factors have until recently been considered uniquely determinate, and, second, that these other factors have to do with functions and abilities hitherto consid- ered traits of personality. Among those partially identified so far are factors relating pri- marily to the conative functions like drive, persistence, will and perseveration, or in some instances, to aspects of temperament that pertain to interests and achievement .... that per- sonality traits enter into the effectiveness of intelligent behavior, and, hence, into any global concept of intelligence itself.
eBook - ePub- Gary Groth-Marnat, A. Jordan Wright(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
Chapter 5 Wechsler Intelligence ScalesThe Wechsler intelligence scales are individually administered, composite intelligence tests in a battery format. They assess different areas of intellectual abilities and create a situation in which aspects of personality can be observed. The most recent versions (WAIS-IV and WISC-V) provide an overall, or “Full Scale” IQ (FSIQ) as well as specific index scores that can be calculated using various combinations of subtests. The Wechsler intelligence scales are considered to be among the best of all psychological tests because they have sound psychometric properties and produce information relevant to practitioners. As a result, they have become the most frequently used tests in clinical practice (Archer, Buffington-Vollum, Stredny, & Handel, 2006; Camara, Nathan, & Puente, 2000; C. E. Watkins, Campbell, Nieberding, & Hallmark, 1995).Testing of Intelligence: Pros and Cons
The testing of intelligence has had a consistent history of misunderstanding, controversy, and occasional misuse (Bartholomew, 2006; Flanagan & Harrison, 2005; Weinberg, 1989). Criticisms have ranged from moral indictments against labeling individuals, to cultural bias, and even to accusations of flagrant abuse of test scores. Although valid criticisms can be made against testing intelligence, such procedures also have a number of advantages.One of the main assets of intelligence tests is their accuracy in predicting future behavior. Initially, Alfred Binet was able to achieve a certain degree of predictive success with his scales, and, since that time, test procedures have become progressively more refined and accurate. More recent studies provide ample support that intelligence tests can predict an extremely wide number of variables. In particular, IQ tests are excellent predictors of academic achievement (Kaufman & Lichtenberger, 2006; Neisser et al., 1996) and occupational performance (J. Hunter & Schmidt, 1996; F. L. Schmidt & Hunter, 1998, 2004; Wagner, 1997) and are sensitive to the presence of neuropsychological deficit (Groth-Marnat, Gallagher, Hale, & Kaplan, 2000; Lezak, Howieson, Bigler, & Tranel, 2012). However, certain liabilities are also associated with these successes. First, intelligence tests can be used to classify children into stereotyped categories, which may limit their freedom to choose fields of study. Furthermore, IQ tests are quite limited in predicting nontest or nonacademic activity, yet sometimes they are incorrectly used to make these inferences (Snyderman & Rothman, 1987; Sternberg, 2003). It should also be stressed that intelligence tests are measures of a person's current level of functioning and, as such, are best used for making short-term predictions. Long-term predictions, although attempted frequently, are less accurate because there can be many uncontrolled, influencing variables. Similarly, even short-term academic placements made solely on the basis of an IQ score have a high chance of failure because all the variables that may be crucial for success are not and cannot be measured by a test. It can sometimes be tempting for test users to extend the meaning of test scores beyond their intended scope, especially in relation to the predictions they can realistically be expected to make.
eBook - PDFIntroduction to Clinical Psychology
An Evidence-Based Approach
- John Hunsley, Catherine M. Lee(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
Tell us about your work on the Wechsler family of measures I first studied the Wechsler scales in graduate school and began doing research on the Wechsler scales during my clinical internship. I quickly found that the research helped me to use the scales more effectively and the clinical work informed the research questions I worked on. In 1985, I was excited by the opportunity to take a job at The Psychological Corporation, publisher of the Wechsler scales, as this combined my interests in psychology, research, and development with business interests in working for a corporation. I was also the only licensed clinical psychologist on staff at the time, which brought a different perspective to the organization. One of the first tests I worked on was the revision of the Wechsler Memory scale, followed by the third edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. It had been 20–40 years since those tests had been updated and revised. Since that time, we have realized that changes in norms, changes in items’ content validity, and advances in the field in general could not justify a long time between new editions of these major instruments in the field of psychology. Accordingly, we began spending much more time and money in shorter revision cycles to keep tests up to date. In my work on these tests, I learned how meticulous and detailed you had to be to create a good test, which I had taken for granted when I used them as a clinician. How do you integrate science and practice in your work? I spend most of my professional time running the clinical assessment business at Pearson. This gives me the opportunity to facilitate the development of scienti fically sound instruments for clinicians. A major part of my role is to encourage my staff to develop products and services that will be useful tools for clinical professionals and that are designed for the demands of clinical practice in mind.
eBook - PDF- John Hunsley, Catherine M. Lee(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
This involves ensuring that test items are appropriate to the Canadian context (and altering the items when necessary) and then establishing Canadian norms using a large sample of participants whose demographic char- acteristics are representative of Canadian national census data. As a result, psychologists in Canada can now use the Wechsler intelligence scales with great confidence. Similar efforts have been undertaken in other countries, including Australia and the UK. Building on this foundation, efforts are currently underway to ensure that all subsequent editions of the Wechsler intelli- gence scales have fair items and appropriate norms for testing French-speaking Canadians. A final general point should be kept in mind with respect to the Wechsler intelligence scales. Wechsler modelled the original Wechsler-Bellevue scale on tests evaluating an examin- ee’s abilities in academically related areas. This means that the tests are oriented to analytical forms of intelligence and do not measure abilities in the artistic, social, or emotional domains, among others. It also means that the focus of the Wechsler tests is on the examinee’s current ability or some of the products of intelligence, with little or no attention directed to the processes that underlie intelligence. A person’s performance on the Wechsler scales indicates a great deal about how well he or she can solve problems in a few important areas, but very little about exactly how he or she solves diverse problems (Groth-Marnat & Wright, 2016). Viewpoint Box 7.2 addresses the construct and measurement of emotional intelligence. Why have psychologists developed Canadian versions of tests of intelligence and achievement? What are some of the limitations of the Wechsler scales? Viewpoint Box 7.2 Emotional Intelligence and Its Correlates Among the multiple intelligences defined by Gardner (1983) are the abilities to understand oneself and others, labelled intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence.
eBook - ePub- Dawn P. Flanagan, Vincent C. Alfonso(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
In a survey of school psychologists' cognitive assessment practices, Sotelo-Dynega and Dixon (2014) found that the majority of school psychologists selected the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) regardless of the reason for referral. The advent of the WISC-V is unlikely to alter this pattern considering the sheer proportion of monolingual English-speaking psychologists. For example, a survey of members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) indicates that only 13.9% indicated fluency in a language other than English (Klotz, 2016). Likewise, only 27 languages other than English are represented in this sample, compared to the 400 languages spoken by families living in the United States (Klotz, 2016; U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Such statistics indicate that it is highly likely that non-native English-speaking children (or simply English learners [ELs]) will invariably continue to be evaluated in English (most often with a Wechsler Scale) by English speakers—a pattern that has remained rather consistent historically (Ochoa, Powell, & Robles-Piña, 1996). The mismatch between the language of administration and the native language of the examinee has not been entirely overlooked. The popularity of the Wechsler Scales and their inherent dual modality framework (i.e., Verbal IQ tests vs. Performance IQ tests) provided a convenient methodology that has resulted in favoring the use of “nonverbal” tests for ELs in attempts to increase the validity of ability measurements by deliberately excluding verbal tests that are more likely to be attenuated by the effects of limited English proficiency than nonverbal ones (Cathers-Schiffman, & Thompson, 2007; Lohman, Korb, & Lakin, 2008; see also Chapter 4)
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