Mixed Deck — All WAIS Topics Flashcards
100 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 20 Mixed Deck — All WAIS Topics flashcards as text
The WAIS-IV normative age bands for adults 70 and older are typically narrower (e.g., 70-74, 75-79) compared to younger bands. Why?
Answer: Cognitive abilities decline faster with age in older adults, requiring finer distinctions
Narrower age bands in older adult ranges capture the accelerating rate of age-related cognitive change that occurs in later adulthood.
A psychologist is administering the WAIS and needs to calculate the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI). Which combination of CORE subtests must be administered?
Answer: Similarities, Vocabulary, Information
On the WAIS-IV, the core subtests that comprise the Verbal Comprehension Index are Similarities, Vocabulary, and Information. Comprehension is a supplemental subtest for this index.
On the WAIS-IV normative tables, FSIQ scores between 90 and 109 are classified as:
Answer: Average
The Average classification spans FSIQ scores of 90–109 in the WAIS-IV classification system.
A clinician notes that an examinee's VCI is 108 and WMI is 88. The critical value at p < .05 is 11 points. What is the correct interpretation?
Answer: The 20-point discrepancy is statistically significant, but base rate data are needed to judge clinical meaningfulness
Because 20 points exceeds the critical value of 11, the difference is statistically significant; the clinician must then consult base rate tables to determine how commonly such a difference occurs in the normative sample.
Regression to the mean is an important consideration in WAIS-IV discrepancy analysis because:
Answer: Predicted achievement scores derived from ability scores must account for the fact that extreme ability scores overestimate expected achievement
Because of imperfect test-criterion correlations, predicting achievement from an extreme ability score (very high or very low) requires adjusting toward the mean to avoid over- or under-predicting performance.
A psychologist is administering the WAIS-IV. Which combination of core subtests contributes to the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI)?
Answer: Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, Visual Puzzles
The three core subtests that form the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) on the WAIS-IV are Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, and Visual Puzzles. These tasks require visual analysis, synthesis, and nonverbal abstract problem-solving.
What is the minimum number of subtests required to generate a valid FSIQ on the WAIS-IV using the standard core battery?
Answer: 10
All 10 core subtests must be administered (or replaced via one substitution per index) to compute a valid FSIQ.
A neuropsychologist uses the Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) when she wants to focus specifically on:
Answer: Working Memory and Processing Speed efficiency
The CPI combines WMI and PSI to assess the efficiency of cognitive processing, distinct from higher-level reasoning abilities.
Research on the WAIS WMI consistently shows that working memory capacity is strongly related to which broader cognitive ability?
Answer: General intelligence (g)
Working memory is one of the strongest correlates of general intelligence, reflecting fluid reasoning and attentional control.
A client asks to see their WAIS-IV raw data and completed answer booklet after an evaluation. According to APA ethical guidelines, the psychologist should:
Answer: Provide a copy of the report but protect raw test data from direct release to prevent misuse
APA ethics balance client access rights with test security obligations by releasing reports to clients while protecting raw protocols.
A WAIS-IV profile showing average Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Reasoning but below-average Processing Speed and Working Memory is sometimes associated with:
Answer: ADHD or executive dysfunction
ADHD frequently produces this pattern — intact reasoning with impaired speed and working memory — reflecting attentional and executive control weaknesses.
A clinician suspects a client is deliberately performing poorly on the WAIS-IV to exaggerate cognitive deficits. The most appropriate action is to:
Answer: Administer validity/effort measures and note the possibility of suboptimal effort in the report
Symptom validity testing is a standard practice when suboptimal effort is suspected, and findings must be transparently reported.
The WAIS-IV 'Cancellation' subtest is classified under which index?
Answer: Processing Speed Index
Cancellation is a supplemental Processing Speed subtest requiring the examinee to quickly mark target shapes among distractors.
When comparing FSIQs obtained from two different Wechsler editions (e.g., WAIS-III vs. WAIS-IV), clinicians must be cautious because:
Answer: Structural changes between editions mean the composites are not directly equivalent
Each Wechsler edition has a different factor structure, subtest composition, and normative cohort, making cross-edition FSIQ comparisons only approximate.
An examinee obtains a Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) score of 112. Using the standard error of measurement (SEM), the examiner determines the 95% confidence interval is 105-118. What is the correct way to interpret this confidence interval?
Answer: The examiner can be 95% confident that the examinee's true PRI score falls within the range of 105 to 118.
A confidence interval provides a range of scores within which an individual's true score is likely to fall, accounting for the inherent error in any test score. A 95% confidence interval means that we can be 95% confident that the person's true, error-free score lies somewhere within that specific range.
On the WAIS-IV Digit Span subtest, which condition is considered the most sensitive measure of working memory manipulation?
Answer: Digit Span Sequencing
Digit Span Sequencing requires the examinee to reorder digits from lowest to highest, demanding active mental manipulation rather than simple repetition.
Which WAIS-IV subtest assesses a person's general fund of knowledge about common events, objects, places, and people?
Answer: Information
The Information subtest measures breadth of long-term knowledge about the world, reflecting crystallized intelligence and educational experience.
Which WAIS-IV subtest requires the examinee to select a picture that best completes a logical matrix?
Answer: Matrix Reasoning
Matrix Reasoning presents incomplete visual matrices and asks examinees to identify the missing piece from response options.
Which WAIS-IV VCI subtest asks the examinee to identify a common concept from increasingly specific verbal clues?
Answer: Word Reasoning
Word Reasoning presents a series of clues and asks the examinee to identify what concept or object is being described.
In the WAIS-IV factor structure, which index score has the highest g-loading and contributes most to FSIQ?
Answer: Verbal Comprehension Index
The Verbal Comprehension Index typically shows the highest g-loading in WAIS-IV factor analyses, reflecting strong association with general intelligence.