Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities
Introduction The '''Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities''' is a set of intelligence tests first developed in 1977 by Richard Woodcock and Mary E. Bonner Johnson (although Johnson's contribution is disputed). It was revised in 1989, again in 2001, and most recently in 2014; this last version is commonly referred to as the '''WJ IV'''. They may be administered to children from age two right up to the oldest adults (with norms utilizing individuals in their 90s). The previous edition WJ III was praised for covering "a wide variety of cognitive skills".
Content of the tests The Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities include both the Standard Battery and the Extended Battery. The Standard Battery consists of tests 1 through 10 while the Extended Battery includes tests 11 through 20.There is also a Woodcock-Johnson III Diagnostic Supplement to the Tests of Cognitive Abilities with an additional 11 cognitive tests. All of which combined allows for a considerably detailed analysis of cognitive abilities. The Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory factors that this test examines are based on 9 broad stratum abilities which are: Comprehension-Knowledge, Long-Term Memory, Visual-Spatial Thinking, Auditory Processing, Fluid Reasoning, Processing Speed, Short-Term Memory, Quantitative Knowledge and Reading-Writing. A General Intellectual Ability (GIA) or Brief Intellectual Ability (BIA) may be obtained. The BIA score is derived from three cognitive tests which include Verbal Comprehension, Concept Formation, and Visual Matching. These three cognitive tests measure three abilities; Comprehension-Knowledge (Gc), Fluid Reasoning (Gf), and Processing Speed (Gs), which best represents an individual's verbal ability, thinking ability, and efficiency in performing cognitive tasks. The BIA takes about 10 to 15 minutes to administer and is especially useful for screenings, re-evaluations that don't require a comprehensive intellectual assessment, or research that needs a short but reliable measure of intelligence. On the other hand, the GIA obtained from the WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities provide a more comprehensive assessment of general ability (g) and the score is based on a weighted combination of tests that best represents a common ability underlying all intellectual performance.
List of tests TestBroad AbilityNarrow AbilityTest Description'''Numerical Reasoning'''GfQuantitative Reasoning Participants must determine numerical sequences anddetermine a two-dimensional numerical pattern'''Concept Formation'''GfInductionParticipants must identify rules that make up geometric figures afterbeing exposed to concepts. '''Analysis Synthesis'''GfGeneral Sequential ReasoningParticipants must analyze the structure of an incomplete logic puzzle and solve the missing parts'''Block Rotation'''GvMental rotation, VisualizationParticipants must choose geometric designs thatmatch another design which have been physically rotated to a different position. '''Spatial Relations'''GvSpatial RelationsParticipants must select the component parts ofwhole shape'''Picture Recognition'''GvVisual MemoryParticipants must study five images, remember them and recognize them in a larger set of other arranged images. '''Visual Matching'''GsPerceptual SpeedParticipants must quickly find and circle two identical numbers in a row of six numbers in 3 minutes. '''Decision Speed'''GsMental Comparison SpeedParticipants must quickly analyze a row of images andmark two images that are the most closely related in 3 minutes. '''Cross out'''GsPerceptual Speed & Rate of Test TakingParticipants must mark drawings that are identical tothe first drawing in the row in 3 mins. '''Rapid Picture Naming'''GsNaming FacilityParticipants must quickly name a series of pictures as fast as possible. '''Retrieval Fluency'''GlrIdeational FluencyParticipants must state as many words from specifiedcategories as possible in 1 minute'''Visual Auditory Learning : Delayed'''GlrAssociative MemoryParticipants must recall and relearn (after a 30-minute to 8-day delay) symbols presented inVisual-Auditory Learning'''Visual Auditory Learning'''GlrAssociative MemoryParticipants must translate visual symbols after being givenorally presented words that are associated with them. '''Memory For Names'''GlrAssociative MemoryParticipants must remember an increasingly largenumber of names of novel cartoon characters'''Memory For Names: Delayed'''GlrAssociative MemoryParticipants must recall and relearn (after a 30-minute to 8-day delay) names of novel cartoon'''Sound Blending'''GaPhonetic Coding SynthesisParticipants must listen to a series of individualsyllables, individual phonemes, or both that formwords and name the complete words'''Incomplete Words'''GaPhonetic Coding AnalysisParticipants must listen to words with one or morephonemes missing and name the complete words'''Sound Patterns'''GaSpeech Sound DiscriminationParticipants must indicate whether pairs of complexsound patterns are the same or different. Thepatterns may differ in pitch, rhythm, or soundcontent'''Auditory Working Memory'''GsmWorking MemoryParticipants must listen to a mixed series of wordsand digits and then to rearrange them by firstsaying the words in order and then the numbers'''Numbers Reversed'''GsmWorking MemoryParticipants must repeat a series of random numbersbackward'''Memory For Words'''GsmMemory SpanParticipants must repeat lists of unrelated words inthe correct sequence'''Memory For Sentences'''GsmMemory SpanParticipants must repeat complete sentences'''Picture Vocabulary'''GcLexical KnowledgeParticipants must name familiar and unfamiliarpictured objects'''Verbal Comprehension'''GcLanguage Development & Lexical KnowledgeParticipants must name familiar and unfamiliarpictured objects and then say words similar in meaning toword presented, say words that are opposites inmeaning to the word presented, and completephrases with words that complete analogies'''General Information'''GcGeneral InformationParticipants must provide characteristics of objects by responding toquestions, such as “Where you would find . . . ?”and “What you would do with . . . ? '''Academic Knowledge'''GcGeneral InformationParticipants must provide information aboutbiological and physical sciences, history,geography, government, economics, art,music, and literature'''Oral Comprehension'''GcListening AbilityParticipants must listen to a short passage and orallysupply the word missing at the end of the passage'''Story Recall'''GcListening AbilityParticipants must listen to a short passage anddescribe  the details'''Verbal attention''' (WJIV only)GsmWorking memory capacityParticipants must listen to a series of numbers and animal words mixed together and answer questions regarding the sequence. '''Number series''' (WJIV only)GfQuantitative reasoningParticipants have to identify the correct number in a series of number that correctly completed the series. Ex. (2,4,?,8,10.....)'''Letter-Pattern Matching''' (WJIV only)GsPerceptual speedParticipants must quickly find and circle identical letters and patterns. '''Visualization''' (WJIV only)GvMental rotation, VisualizationParticipants must identify two sets of 2D pieces that form a specific shape. Participants must also identify two sets of 3D rotated blocks that match another shape. '''Phonological Processing''' (WJIV only)GaPhonetic coding, Word fluencyParticipants must name words that begins with a certain sound. Participants must also use parts of words to create new ones. '''Nonword Repetition''' (WJIV only)GaPhonetic codingParticipants must listen to a nonsense word and repeat the word exactly. '''Segmentation''' (WJIV only)GaPhonetic codingParticipants must listen to words and break it into syllables and phonemes.Citation:GGeneral factorGfGeneral Factor - Fluid IntelligenceGvGeneral Factor - Visual-spatial abilityGsGeneral Factor - Processing SpeedGlrGeneral Factor - Long Term RetrievalGaGeneral Factor - Auditory ProcessingGsmGeneral Factor - Short Term MemoryGcGeneral Factor - Crystallized IntelligenceCitation:
Published versions The test is currently in its fourth edition, published by Riverside Insights. The Woodcock-Johnson III and IV are suitable for assessment of giftedness, and are accepted as qualifying evidence by high-IQ societies such as Intertel and Mensa.
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