The WAIS-R factors: usefulness and construct validity in neuropsychological assessments

One-hundred and twelve patients were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), an abbreviated Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. In order to replicate an earlier study (Sherman, Strauss, Spellacy, & Hunter, 1995), correlations were generated between the WAIS-R factor scores and neuropsychological and memory tests. The Verbal Comprehension factor (Factor 1) correlated with Speech Sounds Perception Test (SSPT), the Seashore Rhythm Test (SSRT), the Category Test, and memory indices. The Perceptual Organizational factor (Factor 2) correlated with the time, memory, and location scores of the Tactual Performance Test, the SSPT, SSRT, the Category Test, Trails A, Trails B, memory indices, and finger tapping. The Freedom From Distractibility factor (Factor 3) was correlated with the Category Test, the SSPT, the SSRT, Trails A, Trails B, immediate Logical Memory, and Visual Reproduction. Modest correlations suggest that the WAIS-R factors may be useful for understanding underlying cognitive performance and can be functional for generating hypotheses, but should not be utilized exclusively to make clinical inferences.