WAIS-R Information subtest item bias for Canadian high school students

The WAIS-R Information subtest was combined with 21 potential substitute Canadian content items and group-administeted to 119 high school students ranging in age from 16 to 19 years. Seven acceptable substitute items were identified. Mean scores on the American items for the 16--17 and 18--19 age groups suggested that Canadians of these ages are not penalized by American content with respect to either Verbal or Full Scale IQ. Nevertheless, the research identified eight Information items, four easier and four more difficult than the standard WAIS-R implies. Similar results were noted in two previous studies of the WAIS-R, and indicate the extreme caution required for the clinical interpretation of intra test scatter. There is also evidence that item difficulty within the Information subtest may vary with the age of the subject. These results were considered indicative of the necessity for Canadian content Information items and the development of Canadian norms for an adapted WAIS-R Information subtest.