SPECIFICITY OF THE WAIS-R SUBTESTS WITH PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS

Subtest specificities were determined for each of the 11 WAIS-R subtes ts for a sample of 200 psychiatric inpatients. The subtest's shared va riance (defined as the multiple squared correlation between a subtest and all remaining subtests) was subtracted from reliable variance (def ined as the subtest's reliability) to yield a measure of subtest speci ficity. The Information, Arithmetic, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Simila rities, Picture Arrangement, and Digit Symbol subtests were judged to have adequate to ample specificity for ipsative interpretation. The Ob ject Assembly, Digit Span, Picture Completion, and Block Design subtes ts were judged to have inadequate specificity for ipsative interpretat ion. Implications for the interpretation of WAIS-R results with psychi atric inpatients are discussed.