Concurrent validity of the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Ability and the Differential Ability Scales

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of two contemporary intelligence tests, the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG) and the Differential Ability Scales (DAS). Studies of these instruments' validity examine how comparable the test batteries are in the cognitive abilities they are designed to assess. This study examined the comparability of the WJ III COG and the DAS in accordance with current intellectual theory. Specifically, this study was intended to add to the literature concerning the validity of the WJ III COG in assessing cognitive abilities according to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of cognitive abilities. Thirty-one middle school students were administered the WJ III COG and the DAS. The results were compared through data analyses of scores obtained on each battery. Results of this study implied that the broad factors of the WJ III COG and the DAS are measuring similar cognitive constructs. With the exception of measures of visual-spatial reasoning, factors of the WJ III COG and the DAS are similar with one another/ The results also support that the WJ III COG is measuring unique cognitive abilities in children. Examinees in this study tended to score higher on the DAS than the WJ III COG. Therefore, practitioners need to be aware of the differences in the abilities measured on each test battery that may impact individua test performance.