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. 2023 Aug 7;11(8):159.
doi: 10.3390/jintelligence11080159.

Cross-National Generalizability of WISC-V and CHC Broad Ability Constructs across France, Spain, and the US

Christopher J Wilson  1   2 , Stephen C Bowden  1   3 , Linda K Byrne  4 , Louis-Charles Vannier  5 , Ana Hernandez  6 , Lawrence G Weiss  7
Affiliations

Cross-National Generalizability of WISC-V and CHC Broad Ability Constructs across France, Spain, and the US

Christopher J Wilson et al. J Intell. .

Abstract

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model is based on psychometric cognitive ability research and is the most empirically supported model of cognitive ability constructs. This study is one in a series of cross-national comparisons investigating the equivalence and generalizability of psychological constructs which align with the CHC model. Previous research exploring the cross-cultural generalizability of cognitive ability measures concluded that the factor analytic models of cognitive abilities generalize across cultures and are compatible with well-established CHC constructs. The equivalence of the psychological constructs, as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V), has been established across English-speaking samples. However, few studies have explored the equivalence of psychological constructs across non-English speaking, nationally representative samples. This study explored the equivalence of the WISC-V five-factor model across standardization samples from France, Spain, and the US. The five-factor scoring model demonstrated excellent fit across the three samples independently. Factorial invariance was investigated and the results demonstrated strict factorial invariance across France, Spain, and the US. The results provide further support for the generalizability of CHC constructs across Western cultural populations that speak different languages and support the continued use and development of the CHC model as a common nomenclature and blueprint for cognitive ability researchers and test developers. Suggestions for future research on the CHC model of intelligence are discussed.

Keywords: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition; confirmatory factor analysis; construct validity; intelligence; measurement invariance.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.J.W., L.-C.V., A.H., & L.G.W. were involved in the research and development of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition, as employees of Pearson.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
France Standardized Mplus Output of Strict Invariance Model between the WISC-V France and the US.
Figure A2
Figure A2
Spain Standardized Mplus Output of Strict Invariance Model between the WISC-V Spain and the US.
Figure A3
Figure A3
France Standardized Mplus Output of Strict Invariance Model between the WISC-V France and Spain.
Figure 1
Figure 1
WISC-V European Scoring Factor Structure used as the Baseline Model. (Note. This first-order five-factor model was the best-fitting model in all samples independently and was the basis for testing of measurement invariance. ε = unique variances of the indicators. VC = Verbal Comprehension (Gc), VS = Visual Spatial (Gv), FR = Fluid Reasoning (Gf), WM = Working Memory (Gwm), PS = Processing Speed (Gs)).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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