The WAIS Adaptability Scale and vocational behavior

Journal of Vocational Behavior, 1,355-360 (1971)

The WAIS Adaptability Scale and Vocational Behavior 1 LARRY F. SCHOFIELD and JOSEPHT. KLJNCE2 University of Missouri-Columbia

A Short Form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale was developed by selecting subtests that were consistently related to work performance across three groups (89 disabled, 140 retarded, and 111 disturbed) workshop clients. Four scales were so selected: Similarity, Comprehension, Digit Symbol, and Block Design. The sum of the scores on these four subtests was significantly related to Full Scale IQ’s (construct validity) and to workshop performance (concurrent validity). Scores on this “Adaptability” Scale was also significantly related to employability measures in two other crossvalidation groups. In fact, in all five groups Adaptability scores yielded higher correlations with employability measures than Full Scale IQ’s

A number of short forms of the Wechsler-Bellevueand the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) have been proposed and developed. In the development of short forms, most researchershave dealt with the issue of construct validity, i.e., the relationship of the derived scores to other IQ measures.Little research has been done on the relationship of such short forms to behavioral variables such as successin vocational training programs. Hilden, Taylor, and Dubois (1952) ignored this issueof concurrent validity in a review of 17 researcharticles that illustrated the appropriatenessof various subtest combinations of the Wechsler-Bellevuewith special (mostly atypical) populations. From their review it was found that almost any combination of three or four subtests would correlate highly (mid .90’s) with Full Scale IQ. Other studies that have focused on representativerather than special groups of subjects generally report similar results (e.g., McNemar, 1950, Maxwell, 1957; Silverstein, 1967, 1968, 1970). The purpose of this investigation was to develop a short form of the lThis research was sponsored in part under Research Grants RD-2326-C and RD-2655G from the Social and Rehabilitation Service, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D. C. 20201. Grateful acknowledgement is also given to Dan Bolanovich and to the Jewish Employment and Vocational Service of St. Louis, Missouri, and to Dr. Corrine S. Cope, the University of Missouri-Columbia. 2Reprints may be obtained from Joseph T. Kunce, Associate Professor of Education, 223 South Fifth Street, University of MissouriColumbia, MO. 65201.

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WAIS that would have concurrent validity as well as construct validity. Two major procedures for developing short forms of the WAIS are (1) prorating total IQ from a few selected scales (e.g., Telegin & Briggs, 19671, and (2) using only parts of each subtest to estimate the total scale score (e.g., Satz & Mogel, 1962). The former method was used in this investigation since it was more adaptable to the available data. An implicit goal in the research was to develop a measure that would predict behavioral ratings of employability as accurately as full scale IQ?. A second objective of this investigation was to test the relevancy of the WAIS short form to vocational behavior in other diverse populations.

METHOD Three data pools were available for investigation. One group of clients seen by the Jewish Employment Vocational Service in St. Louis served as a “developmental” group. This data pool had three subgroups consisting of 89 physically disabled, 140 mentally retarded, and 111 emotionally disturbed clients. The other two data pools were used for cross-validation and included one group of 422 disadvantaged clients seen at the Human Development Corporation in St. Louis and another group of 18 clients of the Community Workshop in Columbia, Missouri. The percentages of black clients in the three subsamples and the two cross-validation samples were 51, 69, 32, 84, and 67%, respectively. The percentages of female clients were 44,61, 43, 65, and 67%. Besides the variables of race and sex, other data included the age of the client and judgments of employability. Measures of client employability in the developmental group were obtained after 3 weeks of workshop evaluation by the counselor in consultation with the workshop supervisor. Each client was rated on ten graphic scales on behaviors such as motivation, quality of work, and quantity of work. These ratings were summed to obtain a total score for each client. A similar procedure was used for the Community Workshop. Measures of employability for the Human Development Corporation population were determined by a research clerk from specific recommendations recorded by the intake interviewer.These recommendations were studied and each client rated on a four-point scale with the highest score indicating recommendations for placement into competitive employment and the lowest score indicating judgments of client unemployability. In all situations ratings were made independently from intelligence testing. The differences in the kinds of client populations and behavioral ratings provided an opportunity to evaluate the validity generalization of WAIS findings even though the predictive validity of each behavioral measure per se was not available. The development of a short form of the WAIS was as follows. For the

WAIS ADAPTABILITY

SCORE AND VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR

357

developmental group, correlations between employability ratings and scoreson each WAIS subtest were obtained for each of the three subgroups (disabled, retarded, and disturbed). Those tests that showed the most consistent patterns of correlations acrossthe three subgroupswere then selectedfor inclusion in a short form of the WAIS. Four tests were so selected: Similarities, Comprehension, Digit Symbol, and Block Design. This combination of scaleswas named the Adaptabilit~~ Scale since they were related to observable, work-related behaviors. Scores on the Adaptability Scale (the sum of the scaled scoreson the selected four subtests) were then correlated with the Full ScaleIQ, race, sex, age, and employability for each of the three subgroup in the developmental data pool and for each of the two cross-validationgroups. As a comparison, a WAIS short form based upon the subtests (Arithmetic, Vocabulary, Block Design, and Picture Arrangement) suggestedby Doppelt (1956) and evaluated by others (e.g., Clayton, 1959; Jones, 1967; Sterne, 1956) was also used. The Doppelt scores(the sum of the four subtests), and Full Scale IQ scoreswere correlated against the above mentioned variables for each of the five groups and then contrasted with those obtained from the Adaptability Scale. RESULTS The mean IQ’s, as well as the mean Adaptability and Doppelt Scale scores, among the various groups were markedly different. (see Table 1). As could be expected, the retarded had considerably lower mean scores. The disadvantagedgroup had relatively higher scoreson the Adaptability Scalethan they did on the WAIS or Doppelt short form. The correlations of the Adaptability Scale, the Doppelt short form, and the various criteria (Full ScaleIQ, employability ratings, race, ageand sex) are TABLE 1 Mean Full Scale IQ’s and Mean Sum Subtest Scores on Adaptability and Doppelt Forms

Group Developmental Disabled Retarded Disturbed Cross validation Disadvantaged Disabled & retarded

N

Full Scale 0 X

Adaptability 0 x

Doppelt 0 ST

89 140 111

81 74 91

14.3 8.9 14.4

29.8 23.4 33.0

9.4 6.1 10.2

29.3 21.6 33.0

8.5 9.1 9.7

422 18

84 71

12.5 18.3

31.7 19.9

8.4 10.9

29.3 19.7

8.3 10.4

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presented in Table 2. The Adaptability Scale was consistently and significantly related to the Full Scale IQ across the five groups with correlations ranging from .88 to .94. Scores on the Doppelt short form were also significantly related to Full Scale IQ’s, although the correlation between these variables for the mentally retarded group was considerably lower (.48). TABLE 2

Correlations of IQ Measureswith Personal Characteristicsa Developmental group

Variable

IQ measure

Cross validation group

ReDisabled tarded Disturbed Disadv. Disab. & disadv. (N=89) (N=140) (JV=lll) (N=422) (N= 18)

Employability

Adaptability Doppelt WAIS

34* 23* 21*

29* 13 23*

27* 15 22*

Race

Adaptability Doppelt WAIS

-39* -4o* - 39*

-21* -26* -16*

-26* -33* -34*

-16* -21* -17*

59* 46* 50* -43* -42* -47*

Sex

Adaptability Doppelt WAIS

19 03 08

-12 -07 -22*

-08 -18* -11

-09 -16* -17*

-03 -20 -13

Age

Adaptability Doppelt WAIS

-16 -05 13

-15 -09 -16*

-13 06 14

-11* -04 -09

06 23 25

WAIS

Adaptability Doppelt

90* 91*

88* 48*

92* 95*

94* 93*

41* 31* 41*

93* 97*

‘Decimals omitted *significant beyond the .05 level with appropriate degrees of freedom

Adaptability Scale scores correlated significantly with employability measures in all five groups. The magnitude of these correlations was .27 to S9. The correlations of the Doppelt scores and employability measures ranged from .13 to .46 with only three of the five being statistically significant. Full Scale IQ scores and employability correlations ranged from .21 to SO. Therefore, scores on the Adaptability Scale correlated more highly with employability measures than either those of the Doppelt method or the Full Scale

IQ. The scores on the WAIS and both short forms were significantly related to race (see Table 2). In each instance the blacks had lower IQ’s than whites. No consistent relationships were obtained among the IQ measures with regard to age and sex. There was, however, a general tendency for males and younger subjects to have higher scores.

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SCORE AND VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR

359

DISCUSSIONAND CONCLUSIONS The four scalesselected for the Adaptability Scalehave been used infrequently in previous research.The particular four subtestsfailed to be regarded as any of Maxwell’s (1957) best 12 or Silverstein’s (1970) best 10 in predicting WAIS Full Scale IQ’s McNemar (1950) found, however, that this combination of Wechsler-Bellevuesubtests to be the second best combination of four subtests for predicting Full Scale IQ’s from Wechsler’snormative group. The same subtests also yielded higher significant relationships to vocational successthan other WAIS subtests in a recent study by Gilbert and Lester (1970). It is of interest to note that the Similarity, Comprehension,and Block Design tests chosen for the Adaptability Scale are used by Gittinger (1964, 1967) to estimate one dimension of his Personality AssessmentSystem. Individuals having relatively high scoreson these three tests tend to show conventional behavior; to adhere to protocol; and to be stable, predictable, tenacious, and free from strain or anxiety. Relatively low scorers tend to be unconventional, negativistic, defensive, insensitive, and unfeeling; and to show inappropriate behavior. The fourth subtest chosen for the Adaptability Scale, Digit Symbol, was also used by Gittinger as an estimate of a special dimension purportedly reflecting available psychological energy. These findings plus our empirical results on these four specific tests suggestthe potential value of investigating their relationship to other behavioral criteria. In conclusions, the concurrent and construct validity of the Adaptability Scale indicates that considerabletime might be savedin practical situations by administering an appropriate short form of the WAIS. The savings in time would have to be weighed against the possible loss of other clinical inferences that are sometimes drawn from inter- and intratest performance. The results also suggestthat selected subtests of the WAIS, with appropriate precautions, may be as useful in predicting vocational competency as more specialized aptitude tests. Norms for designated subgroups should also be developed so that more valid predictions of behavioral concomitants can be made. For example, Parker, Kunce, and Bolanovich (1970) observed that black clients having IQ’s of approximately one standard deviation below those of whites had the samelevel of workshop ratings on employability.

REFERENCES Clayton, H., & Payne, D. Validation of Doppelt’s WAIS short form with tion. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1959, 23, 467. Doppelt, 3. E. Estimating the Full Scale score on the Wechsler Adult from scores on four subtests. Journal of Consulting Psychology, Gilbert, D. J., & Lester, J. T. The relationships of certain personality

a clinical populaIntelligence Scale 1956, 20, 63-66. and demographic

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variables to success in vocational rehabilitation. Final Report, September 1970, Orthopedic Hospital (Los Angeles), Contract Nonr RD-283, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Gittinger, .I. W. Introduction to the Personality Assessment System. Paper presented to the meeting of the American College Personnel Association. Symposium based on: Client: A new approach based on abilities. Dallas, March, 1967. Gittinger, J. W. Personality Assessment System. New York: Human Ecology Fund, 1964. Hilden, A. J., Taylor, J. W., & Dubois, P. H. Empirical evaluation of short W-B scales. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1952, 8, 323-331. Jones, R. L. Validities of short WAIS batteries. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1967, 31, 103. Maxwell, E. Validities of abbreviated WAIS scales. Journal of Consulting Psycholoa, 1956, 21, 121-126. McNemar, Q. On abbreviated Wechsler-Bellevue scales.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1950, 14, 79-81. Parker, R., Kunce, J. T., & Bolanovich, D. Racial differences in intelligence as related to workshop performance. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 1970, 2, 37-41. Silverstein, A. B. Validity of WISC short forms at three age levels. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1956, 31, 635-636. Silverstein, A. B. Validity of WPPSI short forms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1968, 32, 229-230. Silverstein, A. B. Reappraisal of the validity of WAIS, WISC, and WPPSI short forms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1970, 34, 12-14. Sterne, D. M. A note on the use of Doppelt’s short form of the WAIS with psychiatric patients. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1956, 21, 502. Tellegen, A., & Briggs, P. F. Old wine in new skins: Grouping Wechsler subtests into new scales. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1967, 31, 499-506. Received: December 2. 1970