Publication Date

8-1-1998

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Art

Abstract

The prediction of success in college has received a substantial amount of research interest. A variety of predictor variables have been examined including personality and demographic variables as well as scores on standardized college entrance examinations. However, few studies have included the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). In the present study, this researcher examined the ability of the WAIS-R to predict college success as measured by grade point average (GPA). The participants were 49 undergraduates, from a public university, who volunteered for intellectual assessments. It was hypothesized that the WAIS-R would predict college GPA. The prediction was expected to be stronger with the Verbal Scale of the WAIS-R than with the Performance Scale. The magnitude of the predictions was expected to decrease across time spent in college. The results indicated that the WAIS-R does predict college GPA. The differences between predictions from the Verbal Scale and the Performance Scale were not significant. The predictions did not significantly decrease with time spent in college. Gender differences were also found for GPA after 120 hours. Gender accounted significantly for the most unique variance in the prediction of GPA after 120 hours followed by ACT/SAT score and then WAIS-R IQ scores.

Disciplines

Education | Psychology

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