Complementary exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the French WISC–V: Analyses based on the standardization sample.

Abstract

Interpretation of the French Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (French WISC-V; Wechsler, 2016a) is based on a 5-factor model including Verbal Comprehension (VC), Visual Spatial (VS), Fluid Reasoning (FR), Working Memory (WM), and Processing Speed (PS). Evidence for the French WISC-V factorial structure was established exclusively through confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). However, as recommended by Carroll (1995); Reise (2012), and Brown (2015), factorial structure should derive from both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and CFA. The first goal of this study was to examine the factorial structure of the French WISC-V using EFA. The 15 French WISC-V primary and secondary subtest scaled scores intercorrelation matrix was used and factor extraction criteria suggested from 1 to 4 factors. To disentangle the contribution of first- and second-order factors, the Schmid and Leiman (1957) orthogonalization transformation (SLT) was applied. Overall, no EFA evidence for 5 factors was found. Results indicated that the g factor accounted for about 67% of the common variance and that the contributions of the first-order factors were weak (3.6 to 11.9%). CFA was used to test numerous alternative models. Results indicated that bifactor models produced better fit to these data than higher-order models. Consistent with previous studies, findings suggested dominance of the general intelligence factor and that users should thus emphasize the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) when interpreting the French WISC-V. (PsycINFO Database Record

Construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children – FifthUKEdition: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the 16 primary and secondary subtests

“…Omega‐hierarchical (ω H ) coefficients (McDonald, ) ranged from .817 (Canivez et al ., , ) to .847 (Canivez et al ., ; Dombrowski, Canivez, et al ., ) for the general factor but omega‐hierarchical subscale (ω HS ) coefficients for the four WISC‐V group factors ranged from .131 to .530. Similar reliability estimates were found with the French WISC‐V (Lecerf & Canivez, ). Thus, independent EFA results have suggested that a four‐factor solution appears to be the best measurement model for the WISC‐V.…”

“…In contrast, four robust factors with theoretically consistent subtest associations resembling the traditional Wechsler structure emerged from the EFA. The present results replicated the outcomes of EFA studies of the WISC‐V in the United States and in other countries in regard to the inadequate fifth factor (Canivez et al ., , ; Dombrowski, Canivez, Watkins, & Beaujean, ; Dombrowski, Canivez, et al ., ; Lecerf & Canivez, ). Of interest, the AR subtest was the sole salient loading on the fifth factor in the French standardization sample but FW, MR, and VP subtests were singlets in the US sample depending on examinee age.…”

“…The scree test (Cattell, ), standard error of scree ( SE scree ; Zoski & Jurs, ), parallel analysis (PA; Horn, ), and minimum average partials (MAP; Velicer, ) criteria were considered when determining the number of factors to extract. Previous research and publisher theory suggested that four and five factors, respectively, should also be considered (Canivez et al ., ; Lecerf & Canivez, ; Wechsler, ).…”

“…Carroll () insisted on use of the SL transformation of EFA loadings to apportion subtest variance to the first‐order and higher‐order dimensions because intelligence test subtests are influenced by both first‐order factors and the higher‐order g factor. Adhering to Carroll's () directive, the SL procedure has been successfully applied in numerous studies of cognitive ability tests (e.g., Canivez, ; Canivez et al ., ; Dombrowski, Watkins, & Brogan, ; Golay & Lecerf, ; Lecerf & Canivez, ; Watkins, ).…”

“…In these cases, the fifth extracted factor included only one salient subtest loading. Recent EFA research with the French WISC‐V (Wechsler, ) also failed to find evidence for five factors (Lecerf & Canivez, ).…”