SHIPLEY INSTITUTE FOR LIVING SCALE AND THE KAUFMAN BRIEF INTELLIGENCE-TEST AS SCREENING INSTRUMENTS FOR INTELLIGENCE

This study assessed the comparability and acceptability of two tests u sed to screen for overall intelligence levels in adults. At issue is w hether either of these two tests is preferable for a definable subject population. Participants drawn from college (n = 30) and forensic (n = 50) settings completed the Shipley Institute for Living Scale (SILS) , the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT), and the reading section of the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R). The correlation between the SILS IQ and the K-BIT IQ scores was .77 for the college sa mple and .83 for the forensic group, with no significant differences b etween SILS and Ii-BIT mean IQ scores within each sample. Reading leve l also was significantly correlated with SILS and K-BIT IQ scores for both groups. A preference for the SILS over the It-BIT was expressed b y two overlapping groups: college students and above average readers, while a majority of the forensic sample and poorer readers chose the I i-BIT. Although the SILS and It-BIT yield comparable IQ scores within a sample, clinicians may want to consider the subject's reading abilit y, educational history, and feelings and attitudes about the assessmen t situation in deciding which of these two IQ screening tests to utili ze.