Cognitive TestingWhat are the differences between verbal and performance measures in intelligence testing? Compare and contrast using examples.
The first intelligence test that Wechsler David published in 1939 was widely designed for testing adult populations. It referred to as the Wechsler Adult intelligence Test (WAIS). Essentially, the Wechsler scales have verbal IQ score and performance IQ scores (Cooper, 2015). Verbal measures in intelligence testing are concerned with assessing how an individual performs on tasks that require verbal responses. On the other hand, performance measures are used to assess individual performances on tasks that do not require or involve verbal responses. Verbal intelligence measures based on the subtests of WAIS-III produce raw scores that require conversion to scores that are scaled for every verbal subtest (Cooper, 2015). In this case, a normal standardized distribution serves as the basis of the scores that are corrigible to reflect the age of a person. It is also possible to scale the raw scores according to the norms of a reference group (Cooper, 2015).
Verbal subtests can be considered as means of measuring knowledge already acquired by a person as well as their ability to use short-term memory. A vocabulary test is an example of verbal subtest. In most instances, it can provide a stable indication of the intelligence of a person because it involves the process of testing one’s ability to recall the information that they have learned. Other WAIS-III verbal subtests include arithmetic (concentration), comprehension (judgment), similarities (abstract thinking), and information or the range of parson’s knowledge (Cooper, 2015).
Performance subtests can be used to measure a person’s ability to reason, plan, and perform spatial manipulations of symbols, information, or shapes based on the requirements of new tasks (Cooper, 2015). Accordingly, performance subsets include picture arrangement, object assembly, picture completion, symbol search, matrix reasoning, and digit symbol coding. For example, a picture completion subset requires the individual taking the test to complete pictures in an area with measuring elements. It is important to note that the symbol search and matrix reasoning are relatively new subsets (Cooper, 2015).
What are the influences of language, culture, and education on popular measures of intelligence?
Certain cultural differences associated with intelligence manifests themselves on a global scale. Some psychologists argue that the cognitive styles developed by Western and East Asian cultures differ fundamentally, including the way people understand intelligence (Cooper, 2015). However, education makes it possible for someone raised in particular cultures to learn another culture’s cognitive style. In this case, culture is not just an individual’s nationality or race, but also experience (Cooper, 2015).
Education plays an important and crucial role in the improvement of intelligence. Individuals with higher scores of IQ enjoy taking classes than their counterparts with low IQ. Education has causal effects on people’s IQ. For example, past studies suggest that the IQ of children decline during summer vacations (Cooper, 2015).
Language is fundamental to people’s ability to think because it serves as a means of transmitting information. It is possible to conceptualize language in terms of meanings, sounds, and environmental factors that help in the way language is understood. It allows people to communicate their intelligence to others through talking, reading, or writing (Cooper, 2015).
What are the major neuropsychological tests used to determine left and right hemispherical brain damage? Explain with examples and a rationale
Neuropsychological tests are widely used to examine various cognitive abilities such as attention, language, memory, the speed of processing information, and the way different cognitive areas perform. It is an important part of assessing and treating traumatic brain injury (Cooper, 2015). The brain of a normal human being is lateralized into the left and right hemispheres. In this case, the functions of both sides are separated through lateralization. When a patient is experiencing problems with their verbal communication, especially after suffering from a stroke, neuropsychologists can perform separate test examining both the production and comprehension of a language, to identify the stroke’s location in the left hemisphere (Cooper, 2015).
Reference
Cooper, C. (2015). Intelligence and Human Abilities: Structure, Origins, and Applications. New York: Prentice Hall Press.
