Date of Award
7-1992
Document Type
Field Project
Degree Name
Specialist in Education (Ed.S.)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Norman H. Hamm
Second Advisor
J.W. Hill
Third Advisor
Deena Liddy
Abstract
The three factor scores that Kaufman (1975) measured on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (Freedom from Distractibility, Perceptual Organization, and Verbal Comprehension) were compared among students referred and/or placed in special education. Three diagnostic groups were compared: behavioral disordered (BD) , learning disabled (LD) and students who were referred but not placed in special education. Results indicated a significant factor structure difference on the WISC-R for the BD and LD diagnostic groups, but not for the referred but not placed students. However, only the LD group manifested a significantly lower distractibility factor score when compared to the referred but not placed group. Hence, they appear to be more distractible than the BD group— a finding opposite of that expected. An imbalance among the factors measured on the WISC-R appears to be a significant factor to consider in the diagnosis of a handicapping condition.
Recommended Citation
Nigro, Mavis A., "The Role of Cognitive Distractibility in Special Education Diagnosis" (1992). Student Work. 282.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/282