Objective VII: The WAIS & Diverse Demographics Flashcards
Aging & Cognitive Abilities
Slowing of reaction time (processing speed & time tasks impacted); Declines in some aspects of memory (recent & episodic memory, recall w/o cues); the “bright tax”
Less decline associated with (12)
Good health; high educational achievement; high SES; married, intact family, bright house; cognitively demanding occupation; self-motivated; flexible personality; positive adaption to stress; maintaining good processing speed; stimulating environment/activities; feeling satisfied with accomplishments; lack of pessimism about aging
Invariance
The degree to which the same latent factor structure holds across groups
Gender & cognitive abilities
No differences in mean g; males more likely to be at high and low end of the normal curve; males better on visual spatial females better on processing speed
Race, ethnicity, & cognitive abilities
Black-White IQ gap (1 SD); White-Asian gap (.3 SD); Non-Jewish-Jewish IQ gap (.5-1 SD)
Arguments against IQ tests w/ culturally & linguistically diverse children
1) systematic error in estimation of the knowledge and skills of minorities cause differential predictive validity 2) inappropriate content 3) inappropriate standardization sample 4) language bias; all of this results in inequitable social consequences (social multiplier) 5) aspects of examiner-examinee relationship may cause lower scores (stereotypes); motivation to perform/achieve for particular examiner or type of task; lack of practice completing similar activities & test taking skills; different approaches to the use of time; anxiety (stereotype bias)
Race invariance of the WAIS & WISC
mixed findings; new research (Graves et al., 2020) suggests for the WISC a 4 factor model is a better fit than the 5 factor model for a Black sample
Arguments for using IQ tests with culturally & linguistically diverse children
Tests are useful in evaluating present and future functioning (note: are evaluating this in reference to the current dominant culture); can be used to predict future academic performance/success; are used to access special programs; can be used to identify/design interventions; are used to evaluate programs
Factors associated with SES (parental income and education, quality of neighborhood/school) account for?
significant variability between ethnic groups in test performance
Differences across ethnicities are related to:
Differences in access to cognitively enriching environments due to differences in SES resulting from systematic prejudice and oppression; differences in the culture of both those who developed and who are giving the test from those who are taking the test
Attending to diversity as an examiner, what to do?
Know the research, know yourself, know the individual
