Compared to previous versions, the new WISC®–VUK is more flexible and has greater interpretive power, as it is made up of a greater number of secondary tests (16) in order to obtain a more complete view of cognitive abilities.
An expanded factorial structure provides new scores and separate composites, such as a component dedicated to the Visual Spatial Index – VSI and to Fluid Reasoning (FRI), therefore the intelligence components that are measured are in this new version 5, plus Total IQ.
The most absolute novelty concerns the introduction of three new subtests, in order to increase their practical application and coverage of the same contents.
In particular:
– Figure Weights, is a new subtest dedicated to the Fluid Reasoning component that measures reasoning at a quantitative and inductive capacity level; never introduced before, very fun and intuitive as regards its execution;
– Visual Puzzles, a new subtest dedicated to the Visual Spatial component that measures the ability to analyze and synthesize information; the same saw its entry with the introduction of the WAIS-IV (Puzzle);
– Picture Span, is a new subtest dedicated to the Working Memory component that measures visual working memory; test introduced with the new WPPSI-IV (Memory of Images), much appreciated for the images proposed.
But what benefits does this new version of the WISC® V Battery bring? First of all, it is more efficient and easier to use, as it increases the coverage with respect to the components to be analysed; even the time dedicated to administration has not increased, on the contrary in some subtests it is reduced, consequently obtaining a more adequate measure of development.
A further novelty, which deserves appreciation, are the reduced verbal instructions that are provided, with shorter internal interruption rules and more precise scoring criteria, in this way you can avoid moments of “boredom” during the explanations.
As for the correction, it is possible to calculate all the scores faster, consequently reducing the total time spent on calculating the IQ. Even if there are 5 scores related to the 5 components of Intelligence, the total IQ and three other of the five auxiliary scores can be obtained through the 10 main subtests, through the dedicated analyzes (auxiliary), which indices that derive at the end are : Quantitative Reasoning; Auditory Working Memory; Not verbal; General skill; Cognitive Competence.
Last but not least, it is possible to calculate Complete Index Scales, which include three different Indexes: Name speed; Translation of stimuli; Storage and Recovery (composed of the combination of the two previous indexes).
The possibility of obtaining a correction report using the dedicated software remains present.
WISC®–VUK shows greater interpretative power, as it allows direct connections to be made with the WIAT-III Battery, to facilitate further, more flexible evaluation of DSA specifications.
The separate composite scores of the components dedicated to Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning show greater clarity with respect to interpretation, just as the selection of process scores has been expanded, in order to consequently improve the interpretation and understanding of performance.
The correlation between the subtests present in WISC-IV and WISC-V is medium-high, therefore they measure very similar constructs, keeping the new version one of the most “powerful” tools for measuring IQ and Intelligence components.
