The hierarchical factor structure of the WAIS-R for alcoholic adults

A Wherry (1984) hierarchical factor solution was obtained on the WAIS-R subtest intercorrelations for 108 alcoholic adults. An ability arrangement consistent with Vernon's (1950) structure-of-intellect paradigm was found. This ability hierarchy consisted of a strong general intelligence (g) factor defined by all 11 subtests, which accounted for 49% of the variance. The primary level of the ability hierarchy consisted of spatial-perceptual-mechanical (k:m), Freedom from Distractibility (FD), and Verbal Comprehension (VC) factors. Those respective factors accounted for 86%, 4%, and 3% of the total subtest variance.