Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence - Revised

Written by Lizette Campbell Wednesday, 12 December 2001 00:00

by Lizette Campbell (Child and Educational Psychologist) | Disclaimer - NOTE This test is now obsolete - a similar item on the the revised WIPPSI III will appear shortly.

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) is a battery of tests for 3-7 year olds that assesses intellectual functioning. The WPPSI-R has two parts, the Verbal Scale and the Performance Scale. Each of these scales has several subtests.

The Verbal Scale measures language expression, comprehension, listening, and the ability to apply these skills to solving problems. The examiner gives the questions orally, and the child gives a spoken response. The Performance Scale assesses nonverbal problem solving, perceptual organisation, speed, and visual-motor proficiency. Included are tasks like puzzles, analysis of pictures, imitating designs with blocks, and copying.

A Percentile rank expresses the relative position of a score. Additional scores, like quotients based on groups of selected subtests, can be calculated. These scores can suggest additional hypotheses about factors underlying the young child's performance on the WPPSI-R.

A percentile rank of 98 means that a child has scored as well as or better than 98% of students of the same age on that subtest. The confidence interval indicates the probable range of scores which can be expected when this individual is retested.

Intelligence tests like this one are samples of problem solving abilities and learned facts, and are good predictors of future learning and academic success. However, there are several factors that the tests do not measure. For instance, they cannot determine motivation, curiosity, or creative talent. At an early age, they are also limited by the child's experiences and opportunities for formal and informal learning.

Disclaimer:

The information provided is intended to give parents an overview of the Wechsler Scales and how they are used to assess children. The Wechsler tests form one part of an assessment, and other measures may include an early developmental history, formal and informal observation of the child, academic skills testing, measures of personality, emotional and social development, examination of the child's creative and school interests and so on.

It is important to discuss any questions relating to your child's assessment with the psychologist who performs the assessment as they can put the test results and observed behaviours into context with their knowledge of the different tests and of child development. It is also important to realise that, as every child is unique, there cannot be a "recipe" type approach to interpreting their scores or results. This is particularly true of isolating one or two subtest scores.