The Effects of Verbal Approval and Disapproval Upon the Performance of Third and Fourth Grade Children on Four Subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Four selected subtests from the WISC, Arithmetic, Digit Span, Picture Arrangement and Block Design, were administered to 111 pupils in the third and fourth grades at Florida State University Elementary School. Social reinforcers, i.e., verbal approval and disapproval, were systematically presented to the examinees after specified items and between the subtests. Data was analyzed to determine different effects on test performance from the treatments and from the examiners. Results suggest that verbal behavior of the examiner can significantly influence the test performance of third and fourth grade boys and girls, particularly those reared in upper middle class families. Replication of this study is suggested t determine whether the results obtained hold true for children representative of the entire population and for children of different age levels. (ES)