Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) Clinical Applications Flashcards

Which WAIS-IV subtest was newly introduced (not in WAIS-III) to strengthen the Perceptual Reasoning domain?

Answer: Visual Puzzles

Visual Puzzles was added in WAIS-IV to measure nonverbal reasoning without a motor component.

A patient earns average scaled scores on all subtests except a very low Symbol Search and Coding. This isolated pattern most directly lowers which index?

Answer: Processing Speed Index

Symbol Search and Coding are the core Processing Speed subtests.

When reporting WAIS-IV results to a referring physician, the clinician should prioritize:

Answer: Interpretation linked to the referral question and functional implications

Clinically useful reports connect scores to the referral question and real-world functioning.

Digit Span in WAIS-IV includes forward, backward, and sequencing conditions. The sequencing condition primarily adds a demand on:

Answer: Mental manipulation and reordering of information

Digit Span Sequencing requires reordering digits, increasing working-memory manipulation demands.

A flat profile of uniformly low scores across all indexes, with good effort and no sensory impairment, is most consistent with:

Answer: Globally reduced intellectual functioning

Uniformly low scores across domains suggest a global rather than domain-specific reduction.

The clinical value of examining intra-subtest scatter (e.g., passing hard items but failing easy ones) is that it may indicate:

Answer: Attentional lapses, inconsistent effort, or unusual response patterns

Unusual within-subtest scatter can signal attention problems, variable effort, or atypical responding.

For a patient with significant hearing impairment, the clinician should be most cautious interpreting:

Answer: Digit Span and other auditory-verbal subtests

Auditory-verbal subtests like Digit Span depend on hearing, so hearing impairment can invalidate them.