WPPSI Ancillary Index Scores 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of the Vocabulary Acquisition Index (VAI) on the WPPSI-IV?
- To measure nonverbal reasoning skills
- To assess receptive and expressive vocabulary (Correct answer)
- To evaluate processing speed
- To measure working memory capacity
Correct answer: To assess receptive and expressive vocabulary
The VAI is specifically designed to measure both receptive vocabulary (Receptive Vocabulary subtest) and expressive vocabulary (Picture Naming subtest).
Question 2: Which two subtests comprise the Vocabulary Acquisition Index (VAI)?
- Block Design and Object Assembly
- Similarities and Vocabulary
- Receptive Vocabulary and Picture Naming (Correct answer)
- Picture Memory and Zoo Locations
Correct answer: Receptive Vocabulary and Picture Naming
The VAI consists of Receptive Vocabulary (measuring understanding of words) and Picture Naming (measuring expressive vocabulary).
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of the Nonverbal Index (NVI) on the WPPSI-IV?
- To assess vocabulary without reading
- To provide an intelligence estimate that minimizes verbal demands (Correct answer)
- To measure fluid reasoning exclusively
- To evaluate processing speed in isolation
Correct answer: To provide an intelligence estimate that minimizes verbal demands
The NVI provides a measure of general cognitive ability while minimizing the need for verbal instructions and verbal responses, making it useful for children with language barriers or hearing impairments.
Question 4: For ages 4:0–7:7, how many subtests comprise the Nonverbal Index (NVI)?
Correct answer: 6
For ages 4:0–7:7, the NVI includes six subtests: Block Design, Object Assembly, Matrix Reasoning, Picture Concepts, Bug Search, and Cancellation.
Question 5: Which cognitive processes does the General Ability Index (GAI) intentionally exclude compared to the Full Scale IQ?
- Verbal comprehension and visual spatial processing
- Fluid reasoning and knowledge acquisition
- Working memory and processing speed (Correct answer)
- Receptive and expressive language
Correct answer: Working memory and processing speed
The GAI excludes working memory and processing speed subtests, providing a purer measure of higher-level cognitive abilities (verbal comprehension, visual spatial, and fluid reasoning).
Question 6: What does a significant discrepancy between the General Ability Index (GAI) and the Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) suggest clinically?
- The child has superior verbal abilities
- There may be a meaningful difference between higher-order cognitive abilities and cognitive efficiency (Correct answer)
- The child requires subtest substitution
- The FSIQ is always invalid in this scenario
Correct answer: There may be a meaningful difference between higher-order cognitive abilities and cognitive efficiency
A significant GAI-CPI discrepancy suggests the child's higher-order reasoning abilities differ meaningfully from their cognitive efficiency, which may indicate processing difficulties.
Question 7: Which subtests make up the Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) on the WPPSI-IV?
- Similarities, Vocabulary, Block Design, and Object Assembly
- Receptive Vocabulary, Picture Naming, Bug Search, and Cancellation
- Picture Memory, Zoo Locations, Bug Search, and Cancellation (Correct answer)
- Matrix Reasoning, Picture Concepts, Bug Search, and Cancellation
Correct answer: Picture Memory, Zoo Locations, Bug Search, and Cancellation
The CPI consists of the working memory subtests (Picture Memory and Zoo Locations) and the processing speed subtests (Bug Search and Cancellation).