The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC–IV) is an individually administered clinical instrument for assessing the cognitive ability of children aged 6 years 0 months through 16 years 11 months. This updated version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC–III; Wechsler, 1991) provides subtest and composite scores that represent intellectual functioning in specific cognitive domains, as well as a composite score that represents general intellectual ability (i.e., Full Scale IQ). It incorporates significant revisions that include updated norms, new subtests, and an increased emphasis on composite scores that reflect a child's performance in more discrete domains of cognitive functioning. All artwork has been updated to be more engaging and contemporary, and modifications to administration and scoring procedures have been made to enhance the user-friendliness of the scale.

The WISC®–IV provides more than IQ scores. It provides essential information and critical clinical insights into a child's cognitive functioning.
This fourth generation of the most widely used children's intellectual ability assessment meets your testing needs for the twenty-first century. While maintaining the integrity of the Wechsler® tradition, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children®—Fourth Edition (WISC®–IV) builds on contemporary approaches in cognitive psychology and intellectual assessment, giving you a new, powerful and efficient tool to help develop and support your clinical judgments.

Revision Overview

• Improved assessment of Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
• Enhanced clinical validity
• Decreased emphasis on time with fewer time bonuses
• Improved reliabilities and validities
• Improved floors and ceilings on all subtests
• Updated norms to match current 2000 U.S. census data
• Replacement of outdated items
• Includes a chapter on interpretation
• Mazes, Object Assembly, and Picture Arrangement have been dropped
• Information,Word Reasoning, Picture Completion, Arithmetic, and Cancellation are supplemental subtests
• Culturally fair
• Reduced weight and increased portability

Benefits of WISC–IV

The WISC–IV is designed to meet several goals:

• Expand and strengthen clinical utility to support your decision making
• Develop the four Index Scores as the primary interpretive structure
• Improve the assessment of fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed
• Improve subtest reliabilities, floors and ceilings from WISC–III
• Link to the WIAT–II and to measures of memory (Children's Memory Scale, CMS), adaptive behavior (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, ABAS), emotional intelligence (Bar-On EQ), and giftedness (Gifted Rating Scale, GRS)

The Wechsler Tradition: Reliability And Clinical Validity

Careful sampling ensures that norms are representative of the current population of children in the United States. The WISC®–IV sample consisted of 2,200 children between the ages of 6:00 and 16:11 years. A total of 200 children were selected for each of the 11 age groups. The sample was stratified on age, sex, parent education level, region, and race/ethnicity.

Validity Studies

Data was collected with an extensive range of validity measures and with children from sixteen special groups.

Equivalency studies were also conducted within the Wechsler family of tests enabling you to make meaningful comparisons between variousWechsler scores over the lifespan.The Technical Manual reports results of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and correlational data.

WISC®–IV is also validated with measures of achievement, memory, adaptive behavior, emotional intelligence, and giftedness.

• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test®—Second Edition (WIAT®–II)– linked to WISC®–IV for abilityachievement comparison
• Children's Memory Scale® (CMS®)
• Adaptive Behavior Assessment System—Second Edition (ABAS®–II)
• Bar-On Emotional Quotient- Inventory® (Bar-On EQ-i®)
• Gifted Rating Scales (GRS)

Subtest Changes
Three WISC–III subtests have been eliminated from WISC–IV: Object Assembly, Mazes and Picture Arrangement. WISC–III subtests that are now supplemental include Picture Completion, Arithmetic, and Information.

New Subtests
Several new subtests are added to reflect current clinical knowledge and practice:

• Word Reasoning—measures reasoning with verbal material; child identifies underlying concept given successive clues.
• Matrix Reasoning—measures fluid reasoning a (highly reliable subtest on WAIS® –III and WPPSI®–III); child is presented with a partially filled grid and asked to select the item that properly completes the matrix.

• Picture Concepts—measures fluid reasoning, perceptual organization, and categorization (requires categorical reasoning without a verbal response); from each of two or three rows of objects, child selects objects that go together based on an underlying concept.

• Letter-Number Sequencing—measures working memory (adapted from WAIS–III); child is presented a mixed series of numbers and letters and repeats them numbers first (in numerical order), then letters (in alphabetical order).
• Cancellation—measures processing speed using random and structured animal target forms (foils are common non-animal objects).

In addition, new optional recall procedures have been added to the Coding subtest, including free recall, cued digit recall, and cued symbol recall; a coding copy procedure is also included to allow examination of graphomotor abilities apart from paired-associate learning.

Improvements To Retained Subtests

• Vocabulary
• Block Design
• Arithmetic
• Improved Materials

Vocabulary

• Picture naming items in the Stimulus Book provide a lower floor
• Vocabulary words are now displayed in Stimulus Book, in addition to being read aloud

Block Design

• Reduced time bonus
• Timed and untimed norms are now provided

Arithmetic

• Reduced requirement for math knowledge on the Arithmetic subtest
• No time bonus
• No text items
• Picture counting retained for subtest floor