WAIS-IV Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

History and Evolution of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
There have been many updates in The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) over the span of many decades. This psychometric IQ test is designed to asses and evaluates the cognitive ability and intelligence in grown-up kids and adults. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale has many versions, David Wechsler developed the first edition of WAIS. He launched it in February 1995. This first form of WAIS was a refined and revised version of the Wechsler – Bellevue Intelligence scale. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale has now reached its fourth edition (WAIS-IV), published in 2008 by Pearson.

The foundation for the inception of The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale was to measure the ability of an individual to act with purpose, rational thinking and to effectively maneuver through his environment. Wechsler, the developer of WAIS, was keen to believe by identifying and separating interrelated elements of intelligence they could be measured individually.

There are three predecessors of WAIS fourth edition: WAIS I, which gained immense popularity in the 1960s due to its detailed and accurate results. WAIS form one was followed by WAIS – R, this mental health screening test was a revised version of the original WAIS form released in 1981. It consisted of five performance and six verbal subtests. The third generation of WAIS, known as WAIS-III, assessed performance IQ, verbal IQ and full-scale IQ in addition to four secondary indices including working memory, processing speed, verbal understanding, and perceptual organization.
WAIS-III was an improved edition of the former two WAIS IQ tests.

The current WAIS edition, WAIS-IV, is comprised of five supplemental subtests and ten core subtests. The ten core subtests provide scaled scores; the total of the scores provide full-scale IQ. General Ability Index (GAI) is incorporated in WAIS-IV. This fourth edition, based on the advance research and new developments in the domain of cognitive neuroscience, is a great and advanced tool for measuring the cognitive ability of adults. It is launched to address the change in the clinical spectrum, via providing a premium tool to provide accurate results to measure the cognitive ability of a person.

Benefits of WAIS-IV
The latest WAIS form offers many benefits for clinical use in comparison with former editions. It presents the emerging need of clinics, evolving demographics, and new research. It provides expanded clinical utility and increased development. Furthermore, it is more user-friendly, has enhanced psychometric properties and amended structural foundations. GAI is clinically beneficial because it can be utilized to measure cognitive abilities which are comparatively less vulnerable to working memory and processing speed impairments.

This fourth edition is popular amongst professionals and clinics. Currently, it is the most appreciated and used IQ test for adults and teenagers in the world. Developments and advancements are being made in this reformed version to curate a more improved fifth edition, which is expected to be launched shortly.