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 clinician wants to estimate premorbid intellectual functioning in a patient with traumatic brain injury. Which WAIS-IV subtest score is MOST commonly used as an estimate of pre-injury ability?
Answer: Vocabulary
Vocabulary is considered a hold test relatively resistant to brain injury, making it a common estimate of premorbid intellectual functioning.
In a WAIS-IV profile, which pattern of scores is MOST consistent with an acquired right hemisphere lesion?
Answer: Depressed PRI with relatively intact VCI
Right hemisphere lesions typically impair visuospatial and perceptual abilities (PRI) while sparing verbal abilities (VCI).
When interpreting WAIS-IV results for treatment planning in psychotherapy, which index is MOST relevant to a client's ability to follow complex verbal instructions from a therapist?
Answer: Verbal Comprehension Index
The Verbal Comprehension Index reflects the ability to understand and use verbal information, directly relevant to following complex verbal instructions.
A researcher uses WAIS-IV scores to study cognitive aging across a lifespan sample. Which index typically shows the steepest decline with normal aging?
Answer: Processing Speed Index
Processing Speed shows the most pronounced decline with normal aging, consistent with the literature on cognitive slowing.
An examiner administers the WAIS-IV and obtains a valid FSIQ. When writing the psychological report, which statement BEST reflects appropriate score interpretation?
Answer: The client obtained an FSIQ of 112, which falls in the High Average range (90th percentile) with a 95% confidence interval of 108–116
Best practice requires reporting the obtained score, classification range, percentile, and confidence interval to convey measurement precision.
Which WAIS-IV subtest pair forms the basis of the Arithmetic supplemental subtest's clinical value in attention and concentration assessment?
Answer: It requires mental arithmetic under time pressure, taxing attention and working memory simultaneously
Arithmetic taps both numerical knowledge and working memory by requiring mental calculation without paper under timed conditions.
A clinician is assessing a 70-year-old adult with WAIS-IV. Which consideration is MOST important when interpreting the Processing Speed Index for this individual?
Answer: Motor slowing and visual changes in older adults may contribute to lower PSI scores independent of cognitive decline
In older adults, motor slowing, sensory changes, and test-taking speed can artificially lower PSI scores beyond what reflects purely cognitive decline.