Validity of the revised Beta as a screening instrument with psychiatric patients.

Summary.-An initial validity study of the Revised Beta used wich 59 psychiatric patients was completed, with the WAIS as a criterion measure. High and significant correlations suggest the usefulness of the Revised Beta as an estimator of intelligence. In many institutional settings it would be useful to obtain a quick estimate of intelligence. Instruments which take lirtle time to administer, such as the Raven Progressive Matrices, the Shipley-Hartford, and the Revised Beta, have been validated using the Wechs1er Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) as the criterion measure. Hall (1957) found the Raven Progressive Matrices correlated .72 with the WAIS Full Scale, .58 with the Verbal score, and .71 with the Performance score. McLeod and Rubin (1962) also used the Raven Progressive Matrices and reported the correlation with the WAIS Full Scale was .67, Verbal score .58, and Performance score .68. Three studies which compared the ShipleyHartford with the WAIS gave correlations from .58 to .88 (Sines & Simmons, 1959; Wahler 8r Watson, 1962; Wiens & Banaka, 1960). The Revised Beta consists of 6 sub-tests calling for perceptual motor skills similar to those demanded on the Performance scale of the WAIS. Standardization and scoring are also arranged according to the Wechsler method. Little research has been done to establish the validity of using Kellogg's Revised Beta Examination (1934) with a variety of populations. Lindner and Gurwia (1946) restandardized the Beta for a prison population. The applicability of the Beta to other groups such as emotionally disrurbed persons needs assessment. Bluett (1952) administered the Beta to a sample of physically handicapped people and found close agreement with Lindner and Gurwitz's norms. Bennett (1947) reported for 927 industrial workers an r of .36 between the Bennett Hand-Tool Dexterity Test and the Beta. He has found an r of .56 between the Bennett Test of Mechancial Comprehension AA and the Beta. Other correlations using the F'T'I Oral Directions Test, the Wesman Personnel Classification Test-Verbal, and the Otis S-A Test of Mental Ability rznged from .51 to .75. All Ss were adult males in prison. Panton (1960) compared Beta and WAIS scores, again for a prison population, and obtained correlations from .67 up. He concluded that the Beta is a reliable estimator of intelligence with sociopathic prisoners of a low educational and culrural artainment. The purpose of this study was to further establish the concurrent validity of the Beta with a neuropsychiatric population. It was thought that the percepcual-motor loading of the Beta would lead to a higher relationship between it and the WAIS Performance scale than with the Full or the Verkl scales. Furthermore, the differential predictive strength of high versus low Beta scores was investigated with the thought that the Beta, wich its apprent ability to discriminate well at the lower level of intelligence, might be a better predictor for Ss with low scores. Method.-Ss were psychiatric patients of varying diagnoses (Schizophrenic = 40, Manic-Depressive = 1, Neurosis = 9, Personality Disorder = 1, Chronic Brain Syndrome = 8) in' a mid-West Veterans Administration Hospital. Betas were administered to small groups every 3 mo., after several different examiners had given WAIS to patients referred to them until a sample of 59 was obtained. Education ranged from fourth grade