WAIS Applications 4

Question 1

A psychologist administers the WAIS-IV in a correctional setting to evaluate competency to stand trial. Which aspect of the assessment is MOST critical to address before interpreting scores?

Accepted Answer

Whether the defendant put forth adequate effort, assessed with validity indicators

Answer

Whether the defendant has a prior history of testing

Answer

Whether the FSIQ falls below 100

Answer

Whether verbal or nonverbal scores are higher

Question 2

Which WAIS-IV index is considered the BEST single predictor of academic achievement in adults returning to college?

Accepted Answer

Full Scale IQ

Answer

Processing Speed Index

Answer

Working Memory Index

Answer

Verbal Comprehension Index

Question 3

A clinician suspects an examinee is feigning cognitive impairment during WAIS-IV testing. Which pattern of subtest scores is MOST suspicious for malingering?

Accepted Answer

Higher scores on hard items than easy items within a subtest (atypical item difficulty pattern)

Answer

Consistent below-average performance across all subtests

Answer

A large VCI–PRI discrepancy

Answer

Lower Coding than Symbol Search scores

Question 4

When WAIS-IV is used as part of an ADHD evaluation in adults, which index combination is MOST relevant to the differential diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Working Memory Index and Processing Speed Index together

Answer

VCI and PRI together

Answer

FSIQ alone

Answer

PRI and PSI together

Question 5

A psychologist uses the General Ability Index (GAI) instead of the FSIQ in a report. The MOST appropriate reason for this choice would be:

Accepted Answer

WMI and PSI scores were significantly depressed due to a motor disability, making FSIQ an underestimate of reasoning ability

Answer

The client scored higher on GAI than FSIQ

Answer

GAI is always preferred over FSIQ in clinical reports

Answer

The client refused to complete Processing Speed subtests

Question 6

During a neuropsychological battery, which WAIS-IV subtest is MOST sensitive to frontal lobe executive dysfunction?

Accepted Answer

Letter-Number Sequencing

Answer

Vocabulary

Answer

Information

Answer

Similarities

Question 7

A graduate student is learning to administer the WAIS-IV. The supervisor emphasizes that basal and ceiling rules exist primarily to:

Accepted Answer

Reduce unnecessary testing time while ensuring the difficulty range around the examinee's ability level is sampled

Answer

Ensure the examinee completes every item in the subtest

Answer

Prevent the examiner from running out of test materials

Answer

Allow examinees to skip items they find too difficult