WAIS subtest score characteristics of institutionalized mentally retarded samples

Scaled scores on WAIS subtests were compared among five samples of institutionalized mentally retarded (aged 16 to 71 yr.) from the East Coast (N = 509), West Coast (N = 436), and three from the Midwest (Ns = 113, 51, and 111). Four of the five samples showed high correlations between the mean profiles suggesting that the performance of the mentally retarded is reliable across geographical locations. Reasons for the discrepancies between these four samples and the fifth sample are discussed.