Construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth UK Edition with a referred Irish sample: Wechsler and Cattell-Horn-Carroll model comparisons with 15 subtests

Factor Structure and Criterion-Related Validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test Form T for Pilot Applicants

The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is the primary selection tool for officer applicants in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for nearly seven decades. The AFOQT is revised and modified periodically, with rigorous equating and linking effort to ensure comparability and connectivity across forms. The most recent version of AFOQT is Form T that includes 10 cognitive ability and knowledge subtests. Despite the continuing validation effort of the AFOQT across forms, it was mostly directed to the general population of officer applicants, but not to any specific subpopulation. The current investigation reported three studies in an attempt to provide evidence for factor structure and criterion-related validity of AFOQT Form T for pilot applicants via four analytical approaches: meta-analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggested that AFOQT Form T data are best represented by a bifactor model with a general ability and four specific abilities, and that each latent construct has a distinct predictive utility for pilot performance criteria.

Revisiting the Factor Structure of the German WISC-V for Clinical Interpretability: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Approach on the 10 Primary Subtests

With the exception of a recently published study and the analyses provided in the test manual, structural validity is mostly uninvestigated for the German version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to examine the latent structure of the 10 WISC-V primary subtests on a bifurcated extended population-representative German standardization sample (N=1,646) by conducting both exploratory (EFA; n=823) and confirmatory (CFA; n=823) factor analyses on the original data. Since no more than one salient subtest loading could be found on the Fluid Reasoning (FR) factor in EFA, results indicated a four-factor rather than a five-factor model solution when the extraction of more than two suggested factors was forced. Likewise, a bifactor model with four group factors was found to be slightly superior in CFA. Variance estimation from both EFA and CFA revealed that the general factor dominantly accounted for most of the subtest variance and construct reliability estimates further supported interpretability of the Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ). In both EFA and CFA, most group factors explained rather small proportions of common subtest variance and produced low construct replicability estimates, suggesting that the WISC-V primary indexes were of lower interpretive value and should be evaluated with caution. Clinical interpretation should thus be primarily based on the FSIQ and include a comprehensive analysis of the cognitive profile derived from the WISC-V primary indexes rather than analyses of each single primary index.

Exploring the Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Cognitive Functions and Mental Health Status in Subjects Under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

OBJECTIVES

Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to several mental complications including cognitive deficits, depression, and anxiety in patients under methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). This study was designed to explore the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive functions and mental health parameters in subjects under MMT.

METHODS

This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out among 64 patients under MMT. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements (n = 32) or placebo (n = 32) every 2 weeks for 24 weeks. Cognitive functions and mental health parameters were taken at baseline and posttreatment to evaluate relevant variables.

RESULTS

After the 24-week intervention, compared with the placebo, serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels significantly increased in participants who received vitamin D supplements (β 14.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13.17-15.83; P < 0.001). In addition, compared with the placebo, subjects who received vitamin D had a significant reduction in Iowa Gambling Task (β -6.25; 95% CI, -8.60 to -3.90; P < 0.001), and significant increases in Verbal Fluency Test (β 2.82; 95% CI, 0.78-4.86; P = 0.007), Immediate Logic Memory (β 1. 32; 95% CI, 0.27-2.37; P = 0.01), Reverse Digit Span (β 2.06; 95% CI, 1.18-2.94; P < 0.001) and visual working memory (β 0.75; 95% CI, 0.33-1.16; P = 0.001). Also, vitamin D supplementation significantly improved BDI (β -2.76; 95% CI, -3.97 to -1.55; P < 0.001) compared with the placebo. When we applied Bonferroni correction, LM-Immediate (P = 0.07) became nonsignificant, and other mental health parameters did not alter.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, taking 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements every 2 weeks for 24 weeks by patients under MMT had beneficial effects on cognitive functions and some mental health parameters. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Psychometric properties of the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale parent and self-reports in a Norwegian clinical sample of adolescents treated for ADHD

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale parent and self-reports (WFIRS-P and WFIRS-S) in adolescents with ADHD.

METHODS

102 clinically referred patients, of which 86% were enrolled in an ongoing RCT program (Clinical trials NCT02937142), were diagnosed with ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version IV (DSM-IV). The conceptual framework of the WFIRS-P and the WFIRS-S was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability was estimated using Cronbach's alpha, convergent and divergent validity was assessed using correlations with the Children's Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV).

RESULTS

CFA supported the original factor structure of the questionnaires, both a first-order and a second-order model revealed acceptable model fit. Internal consistency was satisfactory across domains. The parent-adolescent agreement was moderate. The correlations between the C-GAS and the total scores of the WFIRS-P and WFIRS-S were low to moderate (r = -0.29 to -0.38). The ADHD-RS-IV correlated moderately (r = 0.49) with WFIRS-P, the correlation with WFIRS-S was weak (r = 0.28) supporting divergent validity. In multiple regression analyses, the ADHD-RS total score was the strongest predictor of the total score in both the WFIRS questionnaires, with internalizing disorder showing an additional small contribution. Age, gender and full-scale IQ gave no additional contribution in explaining the variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support the use of the Norwegian version of the WFIRS-S and the WFIRS-P in the evaluation of functional impairment in adolescents with ADHD.

Factor Analysis and Variance Partitioning in Intelligence Test Research: Clarifying Misconceptions

This article addresses conceptual and methodological shortcomings regarding conducting and interpreting intelligence test factor analytic research that appeared in the Decker, S. L., Bridges, R. M., Luedke, J. C., & Eason, M. J. (2020). Dimensional evaluation of cognitive measures: Methodological confounds and theoretical concerns. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. Advance online publication article.

Die WISC–IV in der klinisch psychologischen Anwendung bei 6- bis 13-Jährigen in einer sozialpädiatrischen Stichprobe

Zusammenfassung. Psychometrische Eigenschaften der WISC–IV wurden bei 649 Kindern im Alter von 6 – 13 Jahren, die in Sozialpädiatrischen Zentren vorgestellt wurden, überprüft. Erfasst wurden ICD-10-Diagnosen und bei Teilstichproben weitere Intelligenzmaße (K–ABC, SON–R 2½–7) und Verhaltensratings (CBCL/4–18). Der mittlere Gesamt-IQ lag bei 92.5 ( SD=15.9). Die split-half Reliabilität der Kerntests lag in den Altersjahrgängen zwischen .75 und .96, die Reliabilität der Indizes zwischen .91 und .96. Es fanden sich keine bedeutsamen Abweichungen von den im Manual berichteten Reliabilitätskennwerten. Analysen zur konvergenten und diskriminanten Validität zeigten signifikante Korrelationen des Gesamt-IQ der WISC-IV mit dem SON-R 2½-7 ( r = .63) und der K-ABC ( r = .80) , während sich zu Verhaltensvariablen (CBCL/4–18) keine bedeutsamen Zusammenhänge fanden. Insgesamt konnten wesentliche Gütekriterien der WISC–IV in der klinischen Anwendungspraxis repliziert werden, was die Brauchbarkeit des Verfahrens für diesen Anwendungsbereich bestätigt.

Construct Validity of the WISC-V in Clinical Cases: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the 10 Primary Subtests

Independent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) research with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) standardization sample has failed to provide support for the five group factors proposed by the publisher, but there have been no independent examinations of the WISC-V structure among clinical samples. The present study examined the latent structure of the 10 WISC-V primary subtests with a large (N = 2,512), bifurcated clinical sample (EFA, n = 1,256; CFA, n = 1,256). EFA did not support five factors as there were no salient subtest factor pattern coefficients on the fifth extracted factor. EFA indicated a four-factor model resembling the WISC-IV with a dominant general factor. A bifactor model with four group factors was supported by CFA as suggested by EFA. Variance estimates from both EFA and CFA found that the general intelligence factor dominated subtest variance and omega-hierarchical coefficients supported interpretation of the general intelligence factor. In both EFA and CFA, group factors explained small portions of common variance and produced low omega-hierarchical subscale coefficients, indicating that the group factors were of poor interpretive value.