Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) Clinical Applications Flashcards

The WAIS-IV is standardized for use with individuals in which age range?

Answer: 16:0–90:11

The WAIS-IV is normed for individuals aged 16 years 0 months through 90 years 11 months, making it one of the broadest age-range intelligence tests available.

In clinical neuropsychological assessment, the WAIS-IV is frequently used to evaluate which type of cognitive change?

Answer: Decline or preservation of cognitive abilities following acquired brain injury or neurodegenerative disease

The WAIS-IV is widely used in neuropsychological settings to document cognitive strengths and weaknesses associated with acquired brain injury, dementia, stroke, and other neurological conditions.

The WAIS-IV Processing Speed Index is composed of which two core subtests?

Answer: Coding and Symbol Search

The WAIS-IV Processing Speed Index (PSI) consists of Coding and Symbol Search as its two core subtests, with Cancellation as a supplemental subtest.

In WAIS-IV interpretation, which approach involves comparing the patient's obtained scores to their estimated premorbid level of functioning?

Answer: Premorbid estimation approach

The premorbid estimation approach uses demographic variables (age, education, race, sex) or reading word tests (e.g., TOPF/NART) to predict what the patient's scores would have been before any brain injury or disease.

Which WAIS-IV subtest is classified as a supplemental Perceptual Reasoning subtest?

Answer: Figure Weights

Figure Weights is a supplemental Perceptual Reasoning Index subtest on the WAIS-IV, measuring quantitative and analogical reasoning by requiring balance scale problems.

What is the primary clinical use of the WAIS-IV in the assessment of intellectual disability in adults?

Answer: To establish an objective measure of intellectual functioning for diagnostic criteria and adaptive supports

The WAIS-IV provides a standardized measure of intellectual functioning used in the DSM-5 and AAIDD criteria for intellectual disability diagnosis, alongside adaptive behavior assessments.

When interpreting WAIS-IV scores in older adults (ages 70+), which cognitive domain typically shows the most pronounced normative decline?

Answer: Processing Speed

Processing speed shows the most robust age-related decline among all cognitive domains, with PSI scores typically declining significantly in healthy aging even when verbal abilities remain relatively preserved.

In a WAIS-IV profile, a significant discrepancy between the Verbal Comprehension Index and the Perceptual Reasoning Index may suggest what in neuropsychological context?

Answer: Hemispheric lateralization of brain dysfunction

Large VCI-PRI discrepancies have historically been interpreted as evidence of lateralized brain dysfunction, with left-hemisphere lesions tending to depress VCI and right-hemisphere lesions tending to depress PRI.

Which WAIS-IV composite score is used when processing speed cannot be assessed due to motor impairment?

Answer: General Ability Index

The General Ability Index (GAI) is computed from only the VCI and PRI subtests, excluding working memory and processing speed, and is recommended when those domains cannot be validly assessed due to motor, visual, or other impairments.

In forensic and disability evaluation contexts, the WAIS-IV is often combined with which types of measures to detect response invalidity?

Answer: Symptom Validity Tests (SVTs) and Performance Validity Tests (PVTs)

Symptom Validity Tests (SVTs) and Performance Validity Tests (PVTs) are used alongside the WAIS-IV to evaluate whether the examinee's performance is a valid reflection of their true cognitive abilities.

The WAIS-IV Similarities subtest primarily measures which type of intelligence according to the CHC model?

Answer: Crystallized intelligence (Gc)

Similarities is classified as a measure of crystallized intelligence (Gc) within the CHC model, specifically measuring verbal concept formation and language development.

Which WAIS-IV subtest requires the examiner to time the response and award bonus points for speed?

Answer: Block Design

Block Design awards time bonus points for particularly fast performance on some items, making speed of execution part of the final scaled score.

In the context of WAIS-IV administration with older adults, which accommodation is NOT recommended?

Answer: Altering standardized timing requirements to make the test easier

Altering standardized timing requirements invalidates the normative comparison and should never be done; age-appropriate norms already account for expected processing speed differences in older adults.

Which WAIS-IV subtest is particularly sensitive to left temporal lobe dysfunction due to its reliance on verbal fluency and retrieval?

Answer: Vocabulary

Vocabulary, as a measure of crystallized verbal knowledge, is sensitive to left temporal lobe dysfunction affecting language areas, particularly Wernicke's area and adjacent regions involved in semantic memory.

What does a clinically significant difference between WAIS-IV Digit Span Forward and Digit Span Backward process scores suggest?

Answer: Difficulty with active manipulation and executive demands of working memory beyond simple registration

A significantly larger Digit Span Forward than Backward span suggests relative difficulty with the executive/manipulation demands of working memory, since Forward span reflects simple registration while Backward requires active mental manipulation.

The WAIS-IV Letter-Number Sequencing subtest is classified as a measure of which CHC broad ability?

Answer: Short-term memory and working memory (Gsm)

Letter-Number Sequencing is classified within the CHC short-term memory/working memory domain (Gsm), specifically measuring working memory span and the ability to manipulate information in immediate memory.

In WAIS-IV clinical interpretation, which of the following is considered a 'process score' that provides additional qualitative information beyond the standard scaled score?

Answer: Block Design No Time Bonus (BDN)

Block Design No Time Bonus (BDN) is a process score that reflects spatial construction accuracy independent of speed, useful for disentangling accuracy from processing speed effects on Block Design performance.

When evaluating an adult with suspected Alzheimer's disease using the WAIS-IV, which pattern of cognitive decline is most consistent with the neuropathology of this condition?

Answer: Significant decline in working memory and episodic memory with relatively preserved verbal knowledge

Alzheimer's disease typically presents with early and prominent episodic memory and working memory impairment, with verbal knowledge and comprehension initially relatively preserved due to the pattern of neurodegeneration.

In WAIS-IV normative tables, which variable MOST influences which normative table should be used?

Answer: Age

Age is the primary stratification variable for WAIS-IV normative tables; separate age-based norms are used for different age bands, reflecting the substantial impact of age on cognitive performance.

Which WAIS-IV Index is most commonly used as a standalone cognitive ability estimate in medical screenings due to its brevity?

Answer: Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI)

The VCI, particularly the two core subtests (Similarities and Vocabulary), is often used in brief cognitive screenings or when only verbal intellectual functioning needs to be assessed, as it is relatively quick to administer.