The WISC as a diagnostic tool.

Wechsler's hypotheses for the adolescent sociopath were applied to the WISC under controlled conditions. Groups were separated according to race and sex, while IQ, socioeconomic class, and geographic location were held constant. The criterion for selection of Ss was appearance before a juvenile court. The efficiency of each of Wechsler's signs was determined. Post hoc analysis provided specific signs for each combination of race and sex in the 80-89 IQ range. The need for cross-validation of these signs was stressed. Other methodological issues that may contribute to inconclusive findings with traditional assessment procedures were discussed throughout the study. These included: (1) the need for control of the relevant variables; (2) the problem of poorly defined criteria; (3) the need for analysis of the individual as well as the group data; (4) the importance of a holistic approach; (5) the problem with matching; and (6) the problem of not having an expected distribution with which to compare the frequency of "hits" for Wechsler's indices.