A short form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence for use in Iran

Data from the standardization of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence in Shiraz, Iran (193 girls, 203 boys 4 to 6.5 yr. old) were used to develop a short form. Four subtests (Vocabulary, Arithmetic, Picture Completion, and Block Design) were selected on the basis of their high correlations with Full Scale IQs. The validity coefficients were high and significant. The standard errors for the short form were 4.0 to 6.0 points. The short form classified correctly about 73% of the subjects by category of intelligence but tended to underestimate the IQs of subjects of high intelligence and to overestimate the IQs of subjects with low intelligence. Further work is required.

Some normative data on the Bender Gestalt test performance of Iranian children

The Bender Gestalt test of visuomotor coordination was applied to a sample of Iranian children (N = 1,600) aged between 6.0 years and 10 years and 11 months attending grades 1 through 5 of 16 public primary schools in Shiraz city, southern Iran. The administration of the test and its scoring followed the standard procedures recommended by Koppitz. The reliability of the test in its new context was investigated through readministering it to a group of 60 children after four weeks, the r being .77. The validity of the test was established by comparing scores of children at different age levels and by correlating test results with marks obtained in two sets of examinations, results of Goodenough Harris Draw-A-Person Test and indices of parental education and occupation. The results are mostly in the expected direction and indicate that the Bender Gestalt test may be used as a simple measure of cognitive-intellectual development in Iran. Observed differences between Iranian norms and those of Koppitz (1963, 1975) for American children are briefly discussed and explained.

Retest reliability of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence restandardized in Iran

Retest reliability of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence test scores was performed in Iran using 30 subjects in a time interval of 5 to 6 wk. The results of this analysis suggest that this restandardization of the WPPSI provides a consistent measure of intelligence for application in Iran. Reliability coefficients of .83, .90, and .88 were found for Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ, respectively.

Otis Self-Administering Tests of Mental Ability, Intermediate Form, in Iran

A Persian form of the Otis Self-administering Tests of Mental Ability, Intermediate Form, was administered to a representative sample of Iranian secondary school pupils (944 boys and 554 girls). Iranian Ss as a group scored strikingly lower than their American counterparts. Boys scored significantly higher than girls both in different grades and across grades. Scores correlated significantly with a past academic performance criterion. Test-retest reliability coefficients over a 2-wk. interval were low relative to those given in the test manual.

Development of iconic and symbolic representation

85 children were administered a conservation proportion task in which they were to judge the relative fullness of a series of glasses in order to determine functioning at the symbolic level of representation. The results indicate that: (a) as age increases (7 to 9 yr.) the number of children functioning at the symbolic level increases, (b) a majority of 9-yr.-old children did not function at the symbolic level and, (c) the percentage of contradictory errors decreased as age increased.