Effects of altered instructions on WAIS-III Digit Symbol-coding subtest.

This study utilized 104 college students to assess the possibility that a performance increment would result on the WAIS-III Digit Symbol Coding subtest scores if instructions were modified to include the time allowed for completion. Compared with the standard instructions, this modification did not significantly change mean scores.

Memory and motor skill components of the WAIS-III Digit Symbol-Coding subtest.

We examined motor skill and memory components of the Digit Symbol-Coding subtest of the WAIS-III in a clinical sample. Research using previous versions of the WAIS in non-clinical samples has suggested that the age-related decline in Digit Symbol-Coding scores is more related to motor ability rather than to the memory requirements of the test. Our results extend this conclusion to a clinical sample, using the WAIS-II. Copy scores measure motor skill on the Digit Symbol-Coding subtest, and Incidental Learning scores (Free Recall and Pairing) measure memory. A large proportion of Digit Symbol-Coding variance was explained by Copy scores with Incidental Learning scores controlled, but Incidental Learning scores explained little additional variance when Copy scores were controlled. The same pattern was found when we used the Immediate Memory and General Memory Indexes from the Wechsler Memory Scale-II as independent measures of memory.

Feeling-of-knowing judgments and strategy selection in spelling.

Metacognitive processes, such as monitoring one's knowledge and selecting appropriate strategies, may be important in skilled spelling. We hypothesized that skilled spellers have knowledge of which words they know how to spell and also that the accuracy with which people monitor their knowledge should be related to the spelling strategies they select. College students provided Feeling-of-Knowing ratings about the spellings of words and also spelled the same words and indicated whether they sounded out or remembered the spellings. Feeling-of-Knowing ratings were moderately correlated with Spelling Accuracy and were more strongly predictive of Spelling Accuracy when Feeling-of-Knowing ratings and spellings were done as part of the same task rather than as separate tasks. Analyses indicate that those who were better at monitoring their knowledge of spelling also chose more congruent spelling strategies. The results suggest that skilled spellers can monitor which words they know how to spell, but this ability to monitor is far from perfect and varies considerably. Further, the results suggest that ability to monitor spelling knowledge is related to strategy selection in spelling.

Reliability of the WAIS-III subtests, indexes, and IQs in individuals with substance abuse disorders.

Reliability of the WAIS-III for 100 male patients with substance abuse disorders was determined. Means for age and education were 46.06 were (SD = 8.81 years) and 12.70 years (SD = 1.51 years). There were 63 Caucasians and 37 African Americans. Split-half coefficients for the 11 subtests (Digit Symbol-Coding, Symbol Search, and Object Assembly were omitted) ranged from .92 for Vocabulary and Digit Span to .77 for Picture Arrangement. The median subtest reliability coefficient was .86. Composite reliabilities were excellent for the Indexes (.94 to .95) and IQs (.94 to .97), with all coefficients > or = .94. Using the Fisher z test to compare correlation coefficients from independent samples, none of the reliability estimates differed significantly from those reported for the WAIS-III standardization sample. Similar findings emerged when reliabilities were determined separately for Caucasian and African American participants.

Effects of advance questions on reading comprehension.

Based on research on working memory and on advance organizers, the author hypothesized that advance information could have a negative effect on reading comprehension. College students read two expository passages and then responded to multiple-choice comprehension questions. In Experiment 1, advance information in the form of stems of multiple-choice comprehension questions was provided to participants in one condition, whereas participants in a control condition received no advance information. Participants who had received information about comprehension questions in advance of reading the text did not perform better in answering comprehension questions that those who did not receive advance information. In Experiment 2, readers were allowed to refer back to the text after encountering the comprehension questions. Those who received advance information on the questions made more errors than participants who did not receive advance information.

Reaction time measures of spelling: testing a two-strategy model of skilled spelling.

Two strategies have been suggested to be important in skilled English spelling: a lexical strategy, which relies on word-specific graphemic information, and a rule strategy, which relies on phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences. Limitations in the usefulness of spelling accuracy as a dependent variable make it difficult to test claims about how the strategies might work together. Two experimental paradigms that measure both spelling accuracy and time are suggested to be useful. Results produced with the paradigms were consistent with the claims that skilled spellers make use of both strategies and that the lexical strategy is more useful than the rule strategy. Working memory may be important in combining products of both strategies. Results were inconsistent with the claim that the rule strategy is invoked only when the lexical strategy fails to produce a complete spelling.