Title:
Matters of Consequence: An Empirical Investigation of the WAIS-III and WAIS-IV and Implications for Addressing the Atkins Intelligence Criterion
Authors:
Taub, GE; Benson, N
Source:
*JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE*, 13 (1):27-48; JAN 1 2013
Abstract:
"Which test provides the better measurement of intelligence, the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) or the
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)?" is an
important question to professional psychologists; however, it has become
a critical issue in Atkins cases wherein courts are often presented with
divergent Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores on the WAIS-III and WAIS-IV. In
these instances, courts are required to render a decision stating which
test provided the better measure of an inmate's intellectual
functioning. This study employed structural equation modeling to
empirically determine which instrument; the WAIS-III or the WAIS-IV,
provides the better measure of intelligence via the FSIQ score.
Consistent with the publisher's representation of intellectual
functioning, the results from this study indicate the WAIS-IV provides
superior measurement, scoring, and structural models to measure FSIQ
when compared to the WAIS-III.
