A Multitrait-Multimethod Construct Validity Study of the Differential Ability Scales

Abstract

In a study of the construct validity of composite and selected subtest scores of the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), scores from the DAS, WISC-R, and Stanford Achievement Test were compared for 46 students in a rural school district. The data were analyzed with multitrait-multimethod matrices to investigate convergent and discriminant validity. The results indicate that while some DAS composites and subtests relate closely to their similar WISC-R counterparts, others do not. It is suggested that while both batteries yield adequate measures of general intelligence, different cognitive processes are reflected in the composites and their constituent subtests. The DAS subtests have been shown to have good specificity for the support of profile analysis, but more research is needed to determine what processes contribute to performance on the subtests.