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Differentiation of intellectual functioning of children in three ability groups
Abstract
It has been predominantly believed that the organization of intellectual functions is essentially invariant across a range of ability, and that this structure is not significantly affected by the level of IQ. This research examined whether or not increased differentiation of intellectual ability could be observed in three groups of children with varying ranges of IQ. A sample of 806 children (528 males, 278 females; IQ range 40 to 139; C.A. 41 to 250 months) was divided into three ability groups on the basis of their WISC-R Full-Scale IQ (Group 1 = 79 and below; Group 2 = 80 to 100; Group 3 = 101 and above). The WISC-R subtests (excluding Mazes) together with the standard scores from either the Wide-Range Achievement Test, Peabody Individual Achievement Test, or the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Subtest of Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic from each group were submitted to a factor analysis. As a result, Groups 1 and 2 yielded a two- and three-factor solution respectively, suggesting an increase in intellectual differentiation. While four factors were extracted from Group 3, only two of these met the a priori criteria required for interpretation. Interfactor correlations within each group did diminish significantly from a mean of.39 for Group 1, to $-$.05 for Group 2, and to $-$.002 for Group 3. In summary, the results of this study indicate that some degree of differentiation of intellectual ability occurs in association with increasing levels of IQ. It remains for additional research to provide further confirmation of this hypothesis.
Subject Area
Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Streur, Joseph Henry, "Differentiation of intellectual functioning of children in three ability groups" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9019586.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9019586