WPPSI-IV

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The WPPSI-IV is composed of 10 core subtests and 5 additional subtests  for children ages 4 years through 7 years and 7 months. It measures five domains of functioning:  verbal comprehension, visual spatial reasoning, working memory, fluid reasoning, and processing speed.

• Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI)
  • Information – Measures capacity to acquire, retain, and retrieve general factual knowledge.  Depending on his or her age, the child selects a picture that best answers a question, or verbally answers questions on a broad range of topics.

• • Similarities – During this subtest, the child selects the picture that is from the same category as the other two pictures depicted, and verbally describes how two objects or concepts are similar.  This subtest measures verbal concept formation and reasoning.

• Visual Spatial Index (VSI)
  • Block Design – This subtest asks the child to recreate a pictured design using colored blocks within a certain amount of time.  This measures the child’s capacity to analyze and synthesize abstract visual stimuli.

• • Object Assembly – This subtest measures visual-perceptual organization, nonverbal reasoning, and trial-and-error learning by asking the child to assemble pieces of a picture puzzle within a certain amount of time.  

• Working Memory Index (WMI)
  • Picture Memory – This subtest asks the child to view a stimulus page of pictures for a specified time and then to select those same pictures from the options provided on the response page.  This task assesses visual working memory.

• • Zoo Locations – During this subtest, the child views animal cards in a particular layout pattern for a specified amount of time and is then asked to place each card in the previously viewed pattern.  This task measures visual-spatial working memory.

• Fluid Reasoning Index (FRI)
  • Matrix Reasoning – This subtest asks the child to select one of four possible pictures that fit into the sequence or pattern of pictures that is shown to them.  This measures fluid intelligence, broad visual intelligence, classification and spatial capacity, knowledge of part-whole relationships, processing, and perceptual organization.

• • Picture Concepts – For this subtest, the child is presented with two or three rows of pictures and selects one picture from each row to identify a group of pictures with common characteristics.  This subtest measures reasoning, visual-perceptual recognition, organization, and processing.

• Processing Speed Index (PSI)
  • Bug Search – This task assesses short-term visual memory, visual-motor coordination, cognitive flexibility, visual discrimination, and concentration.  The child is asked to mark which bug in the search group that matches the specific target bug within a specified time limit.

• • Cancellation – This task assesses perceptual speed, rate of test taking, speed of visual processing and mental operation, scanning capacity, and visual-perceptual recognition and discrimination.  It also requires concentration, attention, and visual recall.  Within a specified time limit, the child is asked to scan two object arrangements (one organized, one random) and mark target objects.

Here is a link for more information about the WPPSI-IV.

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