Applications Flashcards
7 cards from real WAIS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Applications flashcards as text
A neuropsychologist administers the WAIS-IV to a 45-year-old patient following a stroke. Which index score would BEST capture deficits in holding and manipulating information mentally?
Answer: Working Memory Index
The Working Memory Index (WMI) measures the ability to hold information in short-term memory and manipulate it, which is often impaired after stroke.
When using WAIS-IV scores for vocational assessment, which composite score is most directly relevant to evaluating a client's ability to learn new job procedures quickly?
Answer: Cognitive Proficiency Index
The Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) combines Working Memory and Processing Speed, reflecting how efficiently the brain processes routine information relevant to learning new procedures.
A clinician notices a 20-point discrepancy between a client's Verbal Comprehension Index and Perceptual Reasoning Index on the WAIS-IV. This finding is MOST clinically meaningful when:
Answer: The discrepancy is statistically significant and occurs in fewer than 15% of the normative sample
A discrepancy is clinically meaningful when it is both statistically significant (reliable) and has low base rate occurrence in the normative population.
Which WAIS-IV subtest would be MOST useful for detecting slowed cognitive processing in an older adult suspected of early dementia?
Answer: Symbol Search
Symbol Search is a Processing Speed subtest sensitive to slowing of cognitive operations, which is an early marker of dementia.
In forensic evaluations, WAIS-IV scores are sometimes used to determine intellectual disability. According to best practices, intellectual disability is indicated when:
Answer: FSIQ is approximately 70 or below AND significant adaptive behavior deficits are present
Intellectual disability diagnosis requires both a significantly below-average IQ (approximately 70 or below) and concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior, not IQ alone.
A school psychologist uses WAIS-IV results to support a learning disability evaluation for a college student. Which approach provides the strongest evidence for a specific learning disability?
Answer: A significant and unusual within-person discrepancy between ability and achievement
A specific learning disability is best supported by demonstrating an unusual intra-individual discrepancy between measured cognitive ability and academic achievement.
When administering the WAIS-IV to an individual whose primary language is not English, which modification is considered MOST appropriate to maintain validity?
Answer: Supplement with or replace verbal subtests using nonverbal measures from a validated battery
For non-English speakers, supplementing with validated nonverbal measures reduces language bias and yields a more accurate estimate of cognitive ability.