Interpretation of the PPVT-R: A pure measure of verbal comprehension?

The present study examined WISC-R scale, factor, and subtest scores in relationship to PPVT-R standard scores in order to test hypotheses regarding abilities measured by the PPVT-R. For a naturally occurring sample of rural children referred for assessment (N = 51), the results of direct and stepwise regression analyses indicated that, while verbal comprehension abilities may contribute most to successful performance on the PPVT-R, perceptual organization abilities also play a significant though less substantial role in the child's performance on the PPVT-R. While Vocabulary scaled scores accounted for 63% of the variance, addition of Object Assembly and Picture Arrangement scaled scores accounted for an additional 11% of the observed variance in PPVT-R performance. Students for whom the PPVT-R overestimated WISC-R Full Scale performance differed significantly from students for whom the PPVT-R underestimated their WISC-R performance only on the WISC-R Arithmetic subtest. Implications for interpretation of the PPVT-R are discussed.