The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is a psychometric test of adult intelligence used to assess intelligence in adults and adolescents aged 16 to 89 years. The WAIS measures a variety of cognitive abilities, including processing speed, working memory, verbal comprehension, and perceptual reasoning. The WAIS is widely used in both clinical and research settings, as it is one of the most psychometrically sound and comprehensive measures of adult intelligence available.
This article provides an overview of the WAIS and its various components. We begin by discussing the history of the WAIS and the development of its current version, the WAIS-IV. We then review the WAIS-IV’s various indexes and core subtests, as well as its scoring procedures. Finally, we discuss the utility of the WAIS-IV in clinical and research settings.
The WAIS was first developed in 1955 by David Wechsler, an American psychologist who sought to create a measure of intelligence that could be used in clinical settings. The first version of the WAIS, the WAIS-R, was published in 1981 and was subsequently revised and updated in 1997 to become the WAIS-III. The WAIS-IV was published in 2008 and is the currently used version.
The WAIS-IV consists of 14 subtests, which are divided into four core indexes: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed. The Verbal Comprehension Index includes five subtests that assess an individual’s ability to understand and use language. The Perceptual Reasoning Index consists of four subtests that measure the ability to analyze visual information and solve problems. The Working Memory Index contains three subtests that assess the ability to retain and manipulate information in working memory. Finally, the Processing Speed Index includes two subtests that measure the ability to quickly and accurately process visual information.
The WAIS-IV provides three types of scores: a Full Scale IQ score (the average of the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed indexes), an Index Score (the average score of the subtests within an index), and a Subtest Score (the score of the individual subtests). The scores are calculated using a formula that takes into account the age of the examinee and the level of difficulty of the items.
The WAIS-IV is used in a variety of clinical and research settings. In clinical practice, the WAIS-IV can be used to diagnose cognitive deficits and identify strengths and weaknesses in various cognitive domains. In research, the WAIS-IV is used to study the impact of various variables, such as age and education level, on intelligence.
In conclusion, the WAIS-IV is a psychometrically sound and comprehensive measure of adult intelligence. It is used in both clinical and research settings and provides scores for a variety of cognitive abilities.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Kaufman, A. S., & Lichtenberger, E. O. (2006). Essentials of WAIS-III assessment (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Wechsler, D. (2008). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.