Wechsler adult intelligence scale
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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is a general test of intelligence (IQ). The predecessor to this test was the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale which was created in 1939. This testing scale was replaced by David Wechsler’s range of intelligence tests in 1955.
Several versions of this test have appeared since its creation. There are also different versions of this test in different countries. Revisions to the test in 1981 modified it to the WAIS-R. This test was standardized in the United States by testing a sample of 1,800 people from ages 16-74. The subjects were equally broken down into 9 age groups. There were equal numbers of men and women as well as white and nonwhite individuals which corresponded to figures from the census. The sample was further broken down into four geographic locations for the country. There was an attempt to balance between urban and rural subjects in the sample. Furthermore the subjects used in the sample were divided into six occupational groups. Thus, the standardization of the test was done in a manner in which to achieve a strong representative sample of the entire population in order to get accurate measures of intelligence. This scale has high levels of validity and reliability. The mean IQ for each of the age groups was a score of 100, with a standard deviation of 15. The current version of this test is the WAIS-III. This revision was made in the United States in 1997. It contains nearly 80% of the original test, along with improvements which attempt to make the scale culturally fair.
There are three main types of Wechsler intelligence tests. They are focused on specific age groups. The first of these is Wechsler Pre-school and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) which is specific to children ages 3-7. Another is the Wechsler Intelligence scale for Children (WISC) which is appropriate for use on children aged 7 to 16. Finally the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) is used in accurately measuring the intelligence of people aged 16 and older.
