Abstract:
It is almost five years since the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was first published. Since that time a body of literature dealing with its application to various groups has made its appearance. The value of a test is considerably enhanced by an accumulation of research literature dealing with its accuracy, distinctive features, and dependability. Such studies were generally anticipated by the publishers and psychologists. It was to be expected that some of these investigations would have to do with the validity of the scale in relation to a number of criteria. One of these criteria is suggested by the concluding statement of a report by Seashore, Wesman, and Doppelt: “…WISC will approximate in meaning (as far as size of the number is concerned) the IQ's secured by the Stanford-Binet Revision.” It is the purpose of the present study to evaluate this statement as applied to seven- and eight-year-old children. The precise problem, stated in terms of statistical procedures, becomes, "Do the mean scores of the Stanford-Binet and the WISC approximate each other, and do the two scales correlate to a degree that permits the successful prediction of the unknown scores of one of the scales from the obtained score a of the other?" A procedure such as this has been called “circular validation.” But, in defense of this approach, it is contended that the Stanford-Binet, by reason of its primacy in the field of individually administered intelligence tests, has come to be regarded as something of a yardstick with which newer tests are compared. No doubt, the most frequent question asked about the WISC has been, "How does it compare with the Binet?" This is likely to be a pertinent question to many workers for some time to come. In order to avoid a circular type of argument, we have to suppose that the Stanford-Binet is of proven validity. Since the proof is by no means overwhelming, any inferences in regard to the superiority or inferiority of either scale must be tempered by this supposition. It is hoped that this study may contribute to the cumulating data for the evaluation of the WISC and the enhancement of its value.
