Measurement of Intellectual Inefficiency

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Abstract
The index of intellectual inefficiency described in this study was based upon a quantification of internal scatter on WAIS Vocabulary protocols. The index had a test-retest reliability of .70 in a sample of 42 multiple sclerosis out-patients, and a split-half reliability of .47 in a sample of 100 normal Ss. Significant differences were observed in the intellectual inefficiency, the vocabulary level, and the mean age of the following samples: (1) 77 psychiatric patients, (2) 57 traumatically disabled patients, (3) 55 gradually disabled patients, (4) 27 brain-injured patients, and (5), 100 normal Ss. The data for the group of 100 normals was obtained from Wechsler's original standardization sample for the WAIS and did not include the ages of Ss. The differences among these groups on intellectual inefficiency was independent of the differences in vocabulary level per se and closely resembled the differences in the mean ages of the groups. No correlation was observed between intellectual inefficiency and vocabulary level for any but the psychiatric patients. Intellectual inefficiency and age were uncorrelated in all groups where the measures were available. It was concluded that intellectual inefficiency is a reliably measurable aspect of intelligence, sufficiently independent of intellectual level to provide additional information about the functioning of both normal and clinical Ss.

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