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A caution against the use of the Slosson Intelligence Test in the diagnosis of mental retardation
Author(s) -
Reynolds William M.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(197901)16:1<77::aid-pits2310160114>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - psychology , test (biology) , intelligence quotient , developmental psychology , standard deviation , test validity , clinical psychology , psychiatry , psychometrics , statistics , cognition , mathematics , paleontology , biology
The Slosson Intelligence Test, unlike most current measures of intelligence, uses a ratio method of mental age divided by chronological age to obtain an IQ score. Due to this, standard deviations are not stable across age levels and present a problem in diagnosing mental retardation. The Slosson Test Manual provides information whereby an overall test standard deviation of approximately 25 points is obtained. This is reviewed in respect to current criteria for the classification of mental retardation. It is concluded that the Slosson is inappropriate for use in the diagnosis of mental retardation.