The utility of two Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale short forms with prisoners

Previous research has suggested that the Pauker (1963) and Satz and Mogul (1962) short forms of the WAIS have been efficacious in estimating the standard form. While there is a growing need in correctional settings for quicker evaluation procedures, the lack of WAIS short form research with prisoners prohibits their use with such populations. Hence, this study employed 126 young adult male inmates to test the comparability of the above cited short forms and the standard WAIS across a variety of evaluative criteria. The results generally suggested the superiority of the Pauker (1963) form in estimating the standard WAIS. However, because the current study employed only black and white young male offenders it is suggested that the current findings not be generalized to other age groups, races, or women inmates until these findings are cross-validated on such samples.