Measuring social competence with the Wechsler Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests

Authors tested the traditional assumption that the WAIS-R and WISC-R Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests are interpretable as measures of social competence. Although this assumption has existed for over 50 years, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support this contention. Performance on Picture Arrangement and Comprehension were correlated with Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) FACTOR II: Social Incompetence and Social Skills Scale scores for 136 males and 64 females ranging from 6 to 20 years of age. Correlations between Picture Arrangement and Comprehension scaled scores and PIC measures of social deficiencies were not significant for either the WISC-R or WAIS-R. However, ipsative scatter analyses revealed that participants with relatively strong Comprehension performance were rated as experiencing fewer social problems than other participants. Interpreting Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests as indicators of social competence is cautioned.