Measuring social competence with the Wechsler Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• The assumption that Wechsler intelligence subtest performance reflects social competence is longstanding.
• Empirical evidence supporting this assumption is notably scarce.
• This study addresses the lack of validation for these subtests as social competence measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically investigate the validity of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests as measures of social competence.
• To correlate subtest performance with established measures of social functioning.

Main Methods:

• 136 males and 64 females aged 6–20 years completed the WAIS-R and WISC-R.
• Performance on Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests was correlated with scores from the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) Social Incompetence and Social Skills scales.
• Ipsative scatter analyses were also conducted.

Main Results:

• No significant correlations were found between WAIS-R or WISC-R Picture Arrangement and Comprehension scaled scores and PIC measures of social deficiencies.
• Ipsative scatter analyses indicated that individuals with higher Comprehension scores reported fewer social problems.

Conclusions:

• The study cautions against the direct interpretation of WAIS-R and WISC-R Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests as definitive measures of social competence.
• While overall correlations were non-significant, relative strengths in Comprehension may relate to reduced social difficulties.