"Nonverbal" intelligence - UNIT and Leiter-R comparisons

The recent issue of Psychology in the Schools included an article by Hooper and Bell (2006) that explored the concurrent validity of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligenence Test (UNIT) and the Leiter International Performance Scale--Revised (Leiter-R).

Abstract

• One hundred elementary- and middle-school students were administered the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; B.A. Bracken & R.S. McCallum, 1998) and the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R; G.H. Roid & L.J. Miller, 1997). Correlations between UNIT and Leiter-R scores were statistically significant ranging from .33 to .74. The UNIT Full Scale score was 5 points higher than the Leiter-R Full Scale score. [Click here to view/read entire article]

A few blogmaster comments:

• I wish folks would quit using the phrase "nonverbal intellignce." I've written elsewhere (and so have many others...Flanagan, Woodock, Keith, Kamphaus...to name a few) that there is no such thing as "nonverbal" intelligence from a strict construct validity perspective. Nowhere will you find "nonverbal" intelligence in the Carroll's seminal review of the factor analytic research on human abilities. These batteries assess "abilities, nonverbally." In particular, most of these batteries measure the CHC abilities of Gf, Gv, Gs and Glr via nonverbal methods...not "nonverbal intelligence."

• As would be expected, the composite IQ scores were highly correlated (.72). However, this still indicates that the global IQ scores are not exchangeable. This level of correlation suggests approximately 50% shared variance. So...how are practitioners supposed to interpret and understand the differences in scores? Flanagan and I previously provided CHC analysis of the tests in these two batteries in the Intelligence Test Desk Reference (ITDR). If you click here you will be taken to an abbreviated table (from the ITDR) that presents our CHC classification of the tests from the two batteries. This information should assist practitioners determine the possible reasons for score differences based on differences in CHC abilities measured by the two batteries.

• Both of these are nice psychometricaly sound batteries authored by well-respected folks.
  

Technorati tags: CHC theory. psychology. intelligence. cognition. education. educational psychology. iq testing. psychological testing. intelligence theory. UNIT. Leiter-R.