Factor Structure of the French Version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–III

Abstract

The standardization of the French version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) was conducted after carefully adapting the French version fromthe U.S. version and extensive field testing. The standardization sample was composed of 1,104 participants from 16 to 89 years. To assess the construct validity of the French version, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Two-factor, three-factor, and four-factor models were compared. The four-factor solution fitted the data much better than did the two-and three-factor solutions. The only problem observed was with the Arithmetic subtest, which did not show clear alignment with the Working Memory factor. Otherwise, the factor structure of the U.S. WAIS-IIIwas replicated with its French adaptation. Despite important changes in five verbal subtests, very similar factor structure was observed between the U.S. and the French standardization samples. This is an important indication of the universality of the factor structure underlying the WAIS-III.