Name

Functions

High

Low

Full Scale IQ

broad assessment of g

well-rounded intellectual skills, good knowledge base, ability to think fast under pressure, high g

mental retardation, poor education, poor concentration, neurological problems

Verbal IQ

Verbal comprehension, ability to use verbal skills in problem solving

good knowledge base, abstract thinking, social judgment, concentration

poor knowledge base, abstract thinking, social judgment, concentration

Information

knowledge base, premorbid functioning in dementia

good knowledge base

poor education, not mainstream American, psychosis, brain damage

Digit Span

short-term auditory memory, attention span, concentration

good forward - good attention span, good backward - concentration

brain damage, mental retardation, fatigue, anxiety

Vocabulary

g, vocabulary, education, verbal abstract conceptualization, premorbid functioning, resistant to anxiety

good g, vocabulary, education, verbal abstract conceptualization

poor education, not mainstream American, psychosis, early brain damage

Arithmetic

arithmetic knowledge, problem-solving ability, concentration

good arithmetic knowledge, problem-solving ability, concentration

poor schooling, concentration, hearing, learning disability, anxiety, depression (timing)

Comprehension

practical knowledge, social norms exposure

good practical knowledge, social norms exposure and understanding

long-term disfunction, psychosis, poor socialization, not mainstream American

Similarities

abstract reasoning, categorization, verbal conceptualization, logic

good abstract reasoning, categorization, verbal conceptualization, logic

long-term dysfunction, brain damage - too concrete, emotional disorders, psychosis - overgeneralized

Performance IQ

efficiency and integrity of perceptual organization, visuo-spatial skills

good visuo-spatial skills, learning, and speed, ability to think fast under pressure, attention to detail

poor visuo-spatial skills, learning, and speed, ability to think fast under pressure, attention to detail

Picture Completion

perceptual discrimination, visual memory, alertness to detail, concentration

good perceptual discrimination, visual memory, alertness to detail, concentration

psychosis, poor concentration, poor perceptual-conceptual integration, not mainstream American

Picture Arrangement

social skills, planning ability, alertness to detail

good social skills, planning ability, alertness to detail

left hemisphere or frontal damage, psychosis, anxiety

Block Design

non-verbal reasoning, least culture-bound

good visuo-spatial skills, non-verbal reasoning

brain damage, can differentiate from schizophrenia

Object Assembly

visuo-motor coordination, part-whole relationship analysis

good visuo-motor coordination, part-whole relationship analysis, persistence

psychosis, depression, first two - left hemisphere damage (line cues), other two - right hemisphere

Digit Symbol

visuo-motor speed

visual memory, coordination, non-verbal learning, persistence

anxiety, poor concentration, psychomotor retardation, brain damage