Category Test and WAIS Scores: Sex and Age Inter-Relationships

<p>The current study investigated sex and age differences on the WAIS and Category Test in a sample of 218 persons, half male and half female, between the ages of 16 and 39. The sample was composed of well educated diabetics without neurological symptomatology and of above average intelligence.</p> <p>Three types of statistical analyses were performed. The first of these were factor analyses of structural composition of WAIS and Category tests as influenced by sex. Results suggested that males and females exhibit different patterns of performance. The second analyses were regression analyses to predict Category Test performance from WAIS scores and age, as influenced by sex. Findings were that for males, verbal subtests and age more strongly predicted Category Test performance, while for females the Block Design subtest was the strongest predictor. The third analyses examined classification accuracy of good and bad performance on the Category Test for males and females utilizing discriminant function analyses. Good performance could not be predicted for either males or females, and poor performance was best predicted for females by Block Design.</p> <p>The major findings of this study were: (1) differences in Category Test performance and underlying cognitive strategies for males and females, and (2) unique variance contributions from the Category Test in factor analyses. Males appear to rely on well learned cognitive skills most in their Category Test performance, while for females this task is more closely related to novel spatial problem solving. There is support here for the inclusion of the Category Test in a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery as a measure of abilities not tapped by traditional intellectual instruments. Future research should attend to sex and age differences in establishing normative data. The major findings of this study were: (1) differences in Category Test performance and underlying cognitive strategies for males and females, and (2) unique variance contributions from the Category Test in factor analyses. Males appear to rely on well learned cognitive skills most in their Category Test performance, while for females this task is more closely related to novel spatial problem solving. There is support here for the inclusion of the Category Test in a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery as a measure of abilities not tapped by traditional intellectual instruments. Future research should attend to sex and age difference in establishing normative data.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

1987

Author dc:creator

• Shelton, Julia Ann

Contributors dc:contributor

• J. D. Ball
• Frederick Freeman
• Eric Zillmer
• Chris Ryan

• Test
• WAIS scores
• Inter-relationships
• Age differences
• Sex differences
• Clinical Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• <p>In Copyright. URI: <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).</p>

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/psychology_etds/314

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.odu.edu:psychology_etds-1313