Vincent C. Alfonso

The extended satisfaction with life scale: Development and psychometric properties

The development and psychometric properties of the Extended Satisfaction With Life Scale (ESWLS) are described in detail. The ESWLS is a 50-item self-report scale that measures satisfaction with life in nine domains. It can be completed by most people in under 20 minutes and can be used by researchers and clinicians. The readability of the ESWLS was estimated to be between the seventh and tenth grade levels. Internal consistency, estimated by coefficient α, ranged from 0.81 to 0.96 for the individual subscales. Two-week test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.87. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses strongly supported the factor structure of the ESWLS. Preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity is provided as well as preliminary norms.

Assortative mating for relative weight: Genetic implications

Most work on the genetics of relative weight has not considered the role of assortative mating, i.e., mate selection based on similarity between mates. We investigated the extent to which engaged men and women in an archival longitudinal database were similar to each other in relative body weightprior to marriage and cohabitation. After controlling for age, a small but statistically significant mate correlation was found for relative weight (r=.13,p=.023), indicating some assortative mating. Furthermore, we examined whether mate similarity in relative weight prior to marriage predicts survival of the marriage. No significant effects were found. In sum, these results are consistent with those of other studies in suggesting that there is a small but significant intermate correlation for relative weight. However, they are unique in showing that these results cannot be explained on the basis of (a) cohabitation, (b) age similarity, or (c) selective survival of marriages between couples more similar in relative weight. The implications of these findings for heritability studies, linkage studies, and the estimation of shared environmental effects are discussed.

A Critical Review of the Technical Characteristics of New and Recently Revised Intelligence Tests for Preschool Children

This paper examined the psychometric properties of intelligence tests for preschoolers, including standardization, reliability, test floors, item gradients, and validity. The WPPSI-R, DAS, S-B:IV, WJ-R COG, and BSID-IL were reviewed. The psychometric properties of these instruments are weakest at the lower end of the preschool age range (i.e., 2-6 to 3-6), a finding that is consistent with previous research. The WJ-R COG and BSID-II are among the better instruments for use with very young children because they were rated as technically adequate across most criteria. The psychometric properties were strongest for most instruments at the middle (i.e., 3-6 to 4-6) and upper (i.e., 4-6 to 5-6) levels of the preschool age range. Because all intelligence tests have different strengths and limitations, the technical characteristics of these tests should be considered carefully before one selects an instrument for use with preschoolers. Future research should examine the role of intelligence within a framework of developing abilities in young children, so that its relevance in early educational interventions, as well as diagnosis and classification of preschoolers, can be realized.

Convergent validity of the BASC and SSRS: Implications for social skills assessment

The present study examined the psychometric relationship between two new rating scales, the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990), for a sample (N = 53) of minority kindergarten children using both parent and teacher ratings. The similarities and differences between these instruments were investigated through correlational and content analyses. In general, the results provide preliminary convergent validity evidence for the BASC and SSRS. In regard to the Social Skills subscale of the BASC, convergent validity evidence was demonstrated for the parent form of this instrument, but not the teacher form, when the SSRS Social Skills scale was used as the criterion. In addition, the correlations between the various scales of the BASC and SSRS were in the expected direction. That is, the correlation between the BASC Adaptive Skills Composite and the SSRS Social Skills scale was moderate in the teacher group (r = .44) and high in the parent group (r = .54). Similarly, correlations between the BASC Hyperactivity, Aggression, and Externalizing scales and the SSRS Problem Behaviors scale ranged from .50 to .60 and .50 to .56 in the teacher and parent groups, respectively. Implications regarding the practical utility of the BASC and SSRS for assessing social skills functioning, in particular, were presented.

Play and social skills in maltreated and non-maltreated preschoolers during peer interactions

OBJECTIVE The goal of the study was to investigate whether maltreated children differ from nonmaltreated children with regard to their social skills and play behaviors. METHOD The social skills and free-play behaviors of 30 3- to 5-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children were compared. Fifteen children with a range of maltreatment experiences drawn from a hospital-based therapeutic nursery treatment program and 15 demographically similar children drawn from a home-based Head Start program participated in the study. All children were of low socioeconomic status. Childrens free-play peer interactions were videotaped during the first 3 months of attendance in either program and analyzed along social and cognitive dimensions. Teachers and therapists rated childrens social skills in peer interactions. RESULTS Maltreated children were found to have significantly poorer skill in initiating interactions with peers and maintaining self-control, as well as a greater number of problem behaviors. Significant differences were not found between groups with regard to social participation or cognitive level of play. Significant correlations of moderate strength were found between social participation in play and social skills for the sample as a whole: total social skills score was positively related to interactive play, and negatively related to solitary play. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the experience of maltreatment has a negative impact on childrens developing interpersonal skills above and beyond the influence of factors associated with low socioeconomic status and other environmental stressors.

Test Review: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)

Within the field of psychological assessment, the Wechsler scales continue to be the most widely used intelligence batteries. The concepts, methods, and procedures inherent in the design of the Wechsler scales have been so influential that they have guided most of the test development and research in the field for more than a half century (Flanagan, McGrew, & Ortiz, 2000). Virtually every reviewer of these scales, including those who have voiced significant concerns about them, have acknowledged the monumental impact that they have had on scientific inquiry into the nature of human intelligence and the structure of cognitive abilities. Kaufman’s (1993) review of the third edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III), “King WISC the Third Assumes the Throne,” is a good example of the Wechsler scales’ position of authority and dominance in the field (Flanagan et al., 2000). Although the strengths of the Wechsler scales have always outweighed their weaknesses, critics have identified some salient limitations of these instruments; in particular, they lack a contemporary theory and research base (e.g., Braden, 1995; Burns & O’Leary, 2004; Flanagan & Kaufman, 2004; Keith, Fine, Taub, Reynolds, & Kranzler, 2006; Little, 1992; McGrew, 1994; Shaw, Swerdlik, & Laurent, 1993; Sternberg, 1993; Witt & Gresham, 1985). Nevertheless, when viewed from an historical perspective, the importance, influence, and contribution of David Wechsler’s scales to the science of intellectual assessment are both obvious and profound.

Common WISC‐III examiner errors: Evidence from graduate students in training

Sixty WISC-III protocols, administered by graduate students in training, were examined to obtain preliminary data on the frequency and types of administration and scoring errors that examinees commit. Results were compared with previous studies that have evaluated examiner errors on the Wechsler scales. In general, the present results were consistent with those of previous studies that have illustrated that a large number of scoring errors are committed by graduate students as well as by other professional groups. The majority of errors committed by participants in this study were general errors. That is, errors were not specific to a particular subtest. The five most frequent errors included failure to query, failure to record responses verbatim, reporting Full Scale IQ incorrectly, reporting Verbal IQ incorrectly, and adding individual subtest scores incorrectly. However, the traditional difficult to score Verbal subtests were not as troublesome for examiners in this study as they were for examiners in previous studies. In addition, significant decreases in the mean number of errors per protocol and in the number of most frequently occurring errors per protocol were noted.

Obesity and Developmental Disabilities: Pathogenesis and Treatment

In this paper, we review information and data relating to the confluence of mental retardation and obesity. The paper is divided into four sections. In the first section, a description of the major syndromes associated with both mental retardation and obesity is presented, as well as a brief review of the association of obesity with “general” mental retardation. In the second section, information on the treatment of obesity in individuals with mental retardation is presented. In the third section, we describe how the occurrence of syndromes involving both mental retardation and obesity can be used to map genes that may influence body weight regulation in the general population. Fourth and finally, suggestions for future research are provided.

Incidence of Basic Concepts in the Directions of New and Recently Revised American Intelligence Tests for Preschool Children

The purpose of this paper was to provide comparative data as a follow-up to Bruce A. Bracken (1986) regarding basic concepts contained in the test directions of five new or recently revised American intelligence tests for preschoolers. Two measures of basic concepts, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS; Bracken, 1984) and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Preschool Version (Boehm-Preschool; Boehm, 1986), were used to assess: (a) the presence of basic concepts in the directions of intelligence tests; (b) the percentage of preschool-age children who understand these terms; and (c) the frequency with which basic concepts occur throughout test administration procedures. Results indicated that use of the Boehm-Preschool alone or an examination of only the presence of basic concepts and the proportion of children who understand them provide limited information about the difficulty of test directions. It is not until one tabulates the total number of times (that is, frequency) that each basic concept occurs in test directions that their true complexity is realized. This review showed that all intelligence test directions contain excessive use of difficult basic concepts. Although data are not available to examine the extent to which children from countries other than America are likely to understand test directions, in light of the present results, it seems reasonable to assume that all young children may have difficulty comprehending intelligence test directions, regardless of country of origin.

A Critical Review of the Technical Characteristics of Current Preschool Screening Batteries

The current review provides a summary and evaluation of the technical characteristics of five preschool screening batteries, including the Brigance Screens, DIAL-3, ESI-R, ESP, and FirstSTEP. These norm-referenced instruments were selected on the basis of their commercial availability, description as a screening instrument, and ability to assess multiple domains of functioning for children under the age of 5. Each battery was critically reviewed with regard to its reliability and validity, including sensitivity and specificity. Standardization information for each test is also presented. Comparisons of data presented in test manuals for the instruments are made in summative statements regarding overall performance in critical psychometric areas. Recommendations are made for preschool screening battery selection and future development of such measures.