Confidential Psychological Report for: John Doe Page 3
TEST RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION (see attached appendix for scores)
General Intellectual Ability
Date Completed: 09/28/2003
Assessments Used:
1. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
John’s general intellectual ability was evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). The WISC-IV is a norm-referenced, individually administered test of intelligence. It provides a measure of general intelligence as well as more specific measures of verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.
John’s WISC-IV Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) could not be interpreted because he demonstrated too much variability among the four Indexes that comprise this score, the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed Indexes. However, because John’s Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) were similar, these two scores can be combined to calculate a General Ability Index (GAI). The GAI is an estimate of general intellectual ability that is based on John’s performance on tasks that comprise the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) and is not influenced by his performance on the tasks that measure working memory and processing speed. John earned a GAI score of 81, which falls in the Low Average range and at the 11th percentile. This indicates that John performed as well as or better than 11 percent of individuals his age in the WISC-IV standardization sample. There is a 95 percent probability that John’s true GAI score falls between 75 and 87.
The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), a measure of Crystallized Intelligence, represents John’s ability to reason with previously learned information acquired from formal and informal educational opportunities and exposure to mainstream culture. The VCI is comprised of tasks that required John to define words (Vocabulary), draw conceptual similarities between words (Similarities), and answer questions involving knowledge of general principles and social situations (Comprehension). The difference between John’s performance on these three tasks was not unusually large, indicating that his VCI is a good estimate of Crystallized Intelligence. He earned a VCI score of 81 (10th percentile; 95% confidence range = 75-89), which falls in the Low Average range. John’s VCI score represented a personal weakness within his WISC-IV profile and is considered a normative weakness for his chronological age.
The Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) is a measure of Fluid Reasoning and represents John’s ability to reason using visual stimuli. The PRI is comprised of tasks that required John to recreate a series of modeled or pictured designs using blocks (Block Design), identify the missing portion of an incomplete visual matrix from one of five response options (Matrix Reasoning) and select one picture from each of two or three rows of pictures to form a group with a common characteristic (Picture Concepts). The variability of John’s performance on these three tasks was unusually large, suggesting that Fluid Reasoning cannot be adequately described by a single score (i.e., the PRI). His performance on two of these tasks (Block Design and Matrix Reasoning) fell within normal limits for his chronological age. His performance on Picture Concepts represented a normative weakness and was below average for his chronological age.
The Working Memory Index (WRI) is a measure of Short-Term Memory and represents John’s ability to encode information, hold it in immediate awareness, and manipulate it mentally. The WRI is comprised of tasks that require John to repeat numbers in reverse order as presented by the examiner (Digit Span) and listen to a sequence of numbers and letters and repeat the numbers in ascending order, followed by the letters in alphabetical order (Letter-Number Sequencing). The variability in John’s performance on these tasks was not unusual, indicating that the Working Memory Index (WMI) represents a valid estimate of his short-term memory. John earned a WMI score of 83 (13th percentile; 95% confidence range = 77-92), which fell in the Low Average range and represented a normative weakness for his chronological age.
The Processing Speed Index (PSI) is a measure of Processing Speed and represents John’s ability to perform simple, clerical-type tasks quickly. The PSI is comprised of tasks that required John to copy symbols that were paired with numbers according to a key (Coding) and a task that required him to identify the presence or absence of a target symbol in a row of symbols (Symbol Search). The difference between John’s performance on these two tasks was not unusually large, indicating that the PSI is a valid estimate of processing speed. John earned a PSI score of 109 (73rd percentile; 95% confidence range = 99-117), which fell in the Average range. Processing Speed represented a personal strength within his WISC-IV profile and was within normal limits for his chronological age.
Confidential Psychological Report for: John Doe Page 3
APPENDIX A: TEST SCORES
WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN: FOURTH EDITION(WISC-IV)
Composite & Factor Index Scores / Standard Score / Percentile Rank / 95% Confidence Interval
Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) / 84 / 14 / 80-89
Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) / 81 / 10 / 75-89
Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) / 84 / 14 / 78-93
Working Memory Index (WMI) / 83 / 13 / 77-92
Processing Speed Index (PSI) / 109 / 73 / 99-117
VCI Subtests / Scaled Score / PRI Subtests / Scaled Score
Similarities / 9 / Block Design / 7
Vocabulary / 5 / Picture Concepts / 5
Comprehension / 6 / Matrix Reasoning / 10
WMI Subtests / Scaled Score / PSI Subtests / Scaled Score
Digit Span / 9 / Coding / 12
Letter-Number Seq. / 5 / Symbol Search / 11