Intrasubtest Scatter on the WISC-Ill For Various Clinical Samples vs. The Standardization Sample: An Examination of WISC Folklore

Abstract

Intrasubtest scatter indices for five verbal and three performance subtests of the WISC-II were cormputed for the 2,220 children in the WISC-III norming sample (data supplied by the Psychological Corporation), for a sample of children born pre-maturely, and for subgroups of children referred for evaluation. Contrary to popular belief, comparisons among the subgroups and the norming sample, further subdivided by test-age scores, revealed only a few instances in which various subgroups showed significantly more intrasubtest scatter than the norming sample. There were no consistent patterns, and in some instances the referred students showed less scatter than the WISC-III norming sample. These findings are discussed in reference to WISC folklore.