Validity of a WISC-R short form with male delinquents.

Investigated the validity of the Vocabulary-Block Design short form as an estimate of Full Scale IQ in a clinical population of 100 adjudicated white male delinquents. The mean age was 15.8. The difference between the means of the short form and the full Scale IQ was small and nonsignificant. The correlation between the short form and Full Scale IQ was .82 and accounted for 67% of the variance shared by the measures. The short form was found to classify correctly about two-thirds of the Ss by intelligence category. Similarly, about two-thirds of the Ss matched Vocabulary-Block Design discrepancy direction with Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancy. It was concluded the short form was useful as a screening device, but inadequate for making individual treatment program decisions or identifying potential recidivists.