Factor Analytic Study of the WISC-R for Three Groups of Handicapped Students

Abstract

A principle component factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed for 252 subjects on 11 WISC-R variables. Three factors were specified for extraction. The subjects were divided into three diagnostic groups (educable mentally handicapped, slow learners, learning disabled) based on their WISC-R scores and individual placement committee decisions. The factors thus obtained for each diagnostic group corresponded to those found in the standardization group. The three factors were verbal-conceptual, perceptualspatial, and distractibility-short term memory. The findings suggested that the factor paradigm found for the three diagnostic groups can be used confidently to interpret scores from the WISC-R. These findings also indicated that the basic ability dimensions are the same for clinical samples as they are for subjects in the standardization sample.