Relationships between the California Verbal Learning Test - Children's Version and the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children - Third Edition

Abstract

This study looked at the relationship between the 27 indices on the California Verbal Learning Test - Children's Version (CVLT-C) and the 19 scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children - Third Edition (WISC-III). The sample consisted of 58 children, ages 6-16 from a clinical population. The subgroups with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disabilities (LD), and High Ability (HA) were compared to children with no clinical diagnosis (ND) on WISC-III Full Scale IQ, Verbal IQ, and Performance IQ; on CVLT-C Total Recall Trials 1-5; and on CVLC factors of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Free Delayed Recall, Cued Delayed Recall, and Inaccurate Recall. Twelve significant correlations were found between the CVLT-C and WISC-III including Full Scale IQ with Total Recall Trials 1-5, Discriminability, and False Positives; Verbal IQ with False Positives; Vocabulary with Total Recall Trials 1-5; Information with Serial Cluster Ratio; Digit Span with Total Recall Trials 1-5 and Discriminability; Processing Speed with Discriminability and False Positives; and Symbol Search with False Positives, all within the moderate range. In comparing clinical subgroups, children with ADHD did not differ significantly from those without a clinical diagnosis (ND) on any selected measures. Children diagnosed with learning disabilities were significantly lower on Total Recall Trials 1-5, Attention Span, and Cued Delayed Recall. Children with high abilities (HA) were significantly higher on WISC-III Full Scale IQ, Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, CVLT-C Total Recall Trials 1-5, Learning Efficiency, and Free Delayed Recall. This study empirically supported a positive relationship between memory processes and cognitive abilities while also confirming that each are a part of a larger cognitive process.