Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

290 Chapter 
9 
Intelligence
or, more commonly, the WAIS-IV (for adults) and a children’s version, the Wechsler 
Intelligence Scale for Children–IV, or WISC-IV . Both the WAIS-IV and the WISC-IV 
measure verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and process-
ing speed (see sample WAIS-IV items in Figure 6). 
Because the Stanford-Binet, WAIS-IV, and WISC-IV all require individualized, 
one-on-one administration, they are relatively diffi cult to administer and score on a 
large-scale basis. Consequently, there are now a number of IQ tests that allow group 
administration. Rather than having one examiner ask one person at a time to respond 
to individual items, group IQ tests are strictly paper-and-pencil tests. The primary 
advantage of group tests is their ease of administration (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). 
Types of Items on WAIS-IV
Name 
Goal of Item 
Example
Information 
Assess general information 
Who wrote 
Tom Sawyer?
Comprehension 
Assess understanding and evaluation 
Why is copper often used for electrical wires?
of social norms and past experience
Arithmetic 
Assess math reasoning through verbal 
Three women divided 18 golf balls equally among themselves.
problems 
How many golf balls did each person receive?
Similarities 
Test understanding of how objects or 
In what way are a circle and a triangle alike?
concepts are alike, tapping abstract
reasoning
Figure weights 
Test Perceptual Reasoning 
Problems require test-taker to determine which possibility
balances the fi nal scale.
?
1
2
3
4
5
Matrix reasoning 
Test spatial reasoning 
Test-taker must decide which of the fi ve possibilities replaces
the question mark and completes the sequence. 
? 
1 2 3 4 5 
Block design item 
Test understanding of relationship of 
Problems require test-takers to reproduce a design in fi xed