Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence -Revised (WPPSI-R):

Short Form Vocabulary and Block Design

Wechsler, D.
1989

Description of Measure
Purpose
To briefly assess the general intellectual functioning of children aged 3 to 7 years and 3
months.

Conceptual Organization
The total WPPSI-R contains the following 12 subtests: Objects Assembly (6 items),
Geometric Design (16 items), Block Design (14 designs), Mazes (11 mazes), Picture Completion
(28 items), Animal Pegs, Information (27 items), Comprehension (15 items), Arithmetic (23
items), Vocabulary (25 items), Similarities (20 items), and Sentences (12 items).
The Short Form Vocabulary and Block Design includes only the two named subtests. In
the Block Design subtest children are asked to reproduce designs using three or four flat, two-
colored blocks. The Vocabulary subtest consists of two question types. In the first, children are
shown pictures and are asked to name the object in the picture. In the second, children are orally
presented with a word and are asked to define it. The Vocabulary subtest is untimed while the
Block Design subtest is timed and children are given bonus points on some items for speed.

Item Origin/Selection Process

The WPPSI-R is a revision of the original WPPSI, first published in 1967. Changes from
the WPPSI to the WPPSI-R included extending the age range (from 4 to 6 1/2 years to 3 to 7 1/4
years), modifying administration procedures and scoring guidelines, placing a greater emphasis
on speed in scoring, and expanding the IQ range (41 to 160). Both versions are an extension of
the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), which is, in turn, an extension of the
Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale (WBIS) for adults. The WISC and WBIS (now called the
WAIS) have been revised and renormed numerous times since their original development
(Sattler, 1992).
Short forms of the WPPSI-R may be used for screening or research, but should not be
used for diagnosis, selection, or classification.
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Materials
Manual, scoring forms or programs, and other test materials are available from the
publisher.

Time Required
15-20 minutes for the Vocabulary and Block Design short form

Administration Method
Interviewer-administered

Training
3-4 hours. Both subtests require interviewer skill, and thus adequate training, for valid
administration. The Vocabulary subtest requires considerable interviewer judgement.

Scoring
Score Types
Prior to scoring, respondent’s age should be recorded. Age groups are divided into 16 3-
month intervals from age 2-11-16 (y-mm-dd) to 6-11-15, and one 4-month interval from 6-11-16
to 7-3-15. Raw subtest scores are converted to standardized scores corresponding to the child’s
age group. The scoring forms and computer program allow raw scores to be transformed into
standardized scores, based on Table H-7 in Sattler’s (1992) Assessment of Children. Thus, the
raw total score for the Vocabulary and Block Design Short Form can be standardized and the
scaled score can then be compared to the Full Scale IQ equivalent.

Score Interpretation
A higher score on either subtest, or on both subtests combined, indicates higher cognitive
ability.

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Norms and/or Comparative Data
The WPPSI-R was normed on a national, representative sample of 1700 children. For
each subtest, the population mean is 10 and the standard deviation is 3.

Psychometric Support
Reliability
From ages 3 through 6 1/2 years, the WPPSI-R has been shown to have excellent
reliability (.90 to .97) for the three IQ scores (Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale). However at
age 7 years the reliability coefficients for the Performance and Verbal Scale IQs (.85 and .86,
respectively) are less satisfactory than that for the Full Scale IQ (.90). Overall reliability
coefficients for the subtests are somewhat lower than those for the three scales. Wechsler
reported average reliability coefficients (odd-even correlations corrected by the Spearman-Brown
formula) of .84 for Vocabulary and .85 for Block Design (Wechsler, 1989). Again at age 7,
subtest reliabilities are somewhat lower (see Sattler, 1992, pp. 979-980).

Validity
Validity studies described in the WPPSI-R manual report that the measure has adequate
concurrent and construct validity, especially for 4 to 6 year old children (Wechsler, 1989).
Factor analyses of the WPPSI yield two principal factors: Verbal and Performance
(Carlson & Reynolds, 1981), providing evidence of construct validity for the test and suggesting
that for children between the ages of 4 and 6, the WPPSI may be a more sensitive instrument for
assessing the structure of intelligence than the Stanford-Binet, which provides only a global
index of intelligence (Sattler, 1992).
The correlation between the Short Form Vocabulary and Block Design IQ equivalent and
the Full Scale IQ has been reported as r = .83 (from Sattler, 1992, Table H-6).

LONGSCAN Use
Data Points
Age 6

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Respondent
Child

Mnemonic and Version

WPPA

Rationale
LONGSCAN chose to use a 2-subtest short form because of time constraints. The
Vocabulary and Block Design combination is one of the recommended dyads that can be used for
screening purposes. Vocabulary measures language development, learning ability, and fund of
information, and is an excellent measure of general intelligence (Sattler, 1992). Block design
measures visual-motor coordination and perceptual organization, and is considered the best
measure of general intelligence from among the Performance Scale subtests (Sattler, 1992).

Results
Descriptive Statistics
At Age 6, the LONGSCAN samples scored somewhat below the mean (M = 10, SD = 3)
on both Vocabulary and Block Design subtests. The mean sum of the two scaled scores, M =
16.2 would equate to an IQ score of approximately 90. An examination of the subtest scores by
race showed that White children scored approximately two points higher on both subtests than
the Black children. The children from the NW site scored the highest on both subtests, while
children from the EA, SO, and SW sites had approximately equal scores on Vocabulary. Children
from the MW site had the lowest Vocabulary scores. Because vocabulary skills are affected by
the enrichment available in the child’s environment, the low vocabulary subtest scores of the
MW children may reflect the high degree of impoverishment faced by these children. More
variation was observed on the Block Design test with the children from the EA site scoring more
than two points lower than those at the NW site, while children at the other three sites scored
somewhere between the two extremes.

Table 1 about here

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Reliability
Like Wechsler, split-half reliability estimates were computed (odd-even correlations
corrected by the Spearman-Brown formula) to gauge the internal consistency of the two
subscales. Using pooled data from the four sites, reliability was found to be adequate for both
Block Design (r = .73) and Vocabulary (r = .68).

Publisher Information
The Psychological Corporation
Clinical Sales
555 Academic Court
San Antonio, Texas 78204
(800) 211-8378

References and Bibliography

Carlson, L. C., & Reynolds, C. R. (1981). Factor structure and specific variance of
WPPSI subtests at six age levels. Psychology in the Schools, 18, 48-54.

Sattler, J. (1992). Assessment of Children's Intelligence and Special Abilities: Revised

and Updated Third Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Wechsler, D. (1989). Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised. San

Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.

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Table 1. Mean Vocabulary and Block Design Raw and Standard Scores by Race and Study
Site. Age 6 Interview
Block Design Vocabulary WPPSI Total Scores
Raw Standard Raw Standard Raw Standard
N M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) M (SD)
Total 1159 21.14 (6.95) 7.75 (2.81) 20.35 (7.03) 8.44 (3.00) 41.49 (11.84) 16.20 (4.86)
Race
White 296 23.99 (6.99) 9.05 (2.85) 23.23 (6.92) 9.73 (3.03) 47.22 (11.51) 18.79 (4.72)
Black 636 19.59 (6.76) 7.04 (2.59) 19.57 (6.39) 7.93 (2.72) 39.16 (11.13) 14.99 (4.36)
Hispanic 77 21.82 (6.38) 7.82 (2.82) 16.26 (8.25) 7.04 (3.01) 38.08 (11.81) 14.90 (4.76)
Multiracial 135 21.73 (6.00) 8.18 (2.65) 20.19 (7.10) 8.71 (3.16) 41.92 (11.30) 16.92 (4.95)
Other 14 21.29 (6.75) 7.93 (2.87) 18.64 (9.06) 8.15 (4.32) 39.93 (14.24) 16.00 (6.58)
Site
EA 248 18.11 (5.99) 6.86 (2.43) 18.81 (5.99) 8.31 (2.54) 36.92 (10.10) 15.20 (4.13)
MW 190 20.54 (6.82) 7.34 (2.91) 18.10 (7.22) 7.33 (3.07) 38.64 (12.09) 14.67 (5.07)
SO 218 24.75 (7.08) 8.19 (3.01) 23.93 (6.02) 8.17 (2.71) 48.68 (10.98) 16.39 (4.72)
SW 276 20.83 (6.59) 7.69 (2.69) 18.66 (7.44) 8.08 (3.06) 39.49 (11.42) 15.79 (4.71)
NW 227 21.85 (6.71) 8.72 (2.72) 22.54 (6.39) 10.13(2.95) 44.38 (10.83) 18.86 (4.68)
Source. Based on data received at the LONGSCAN Coordinating Center through 6/21/02.

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