The Validity of the General Ability Measure for Adults ™: Comparison with WAIS-R IQ Scores in A Sample of College Students with Academic Difficulties

Abstract

The present study investigated the validity of the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA) by comparing it to the WAIS-R using a sample of 80 college students reporting learning difficulties. Results indicated that the mean GAMA IQ score did not deviate significantly from the mean WAIS-R IQ scores. The GAMA Full Scale IQ correlated significantly with the WAIS-R PIQ, VIQ, and FSIQ scores. However, the obtained correlation coefficient for the GAMA and WAIS-R PIQ significantly differed from the observed correlation coefficient between the GAMA and WAIS-R VIQ, suggesting that the GAMA was more clearly associated with perceptual skills than verbal abilities. When the correlation coefficients between the GAMA and WAIS-R scores were corrected for the effects of range restriction, the correlation coefficients increased, yet demonstrated the same pattern (e.g., GAMA/PIQ,.69; GAMA/VIQ,.36; GAMA/FSIQ,.60). The GAMA s accuracy in predicting individual student performance on the WAIS-R FSIQ also was examined.