Against Mutton Masquerading as Lamb: Additional Commentary on the Interpretation and Misinterpretation of the Sawais

Abstract

This article provides additional support for the concerns expressed by Nell (1994) in a recent edition of the South African Journal of Psychology (Volume 24) about outmoded administration procedures and the dated normative sample of the South African Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (SAWAIS). Attention is drawn to the potential for a ceiling effect on the SAWAIS Digit Symbol subtest due to an abbreviated format relative to the WAIS-R, and the potential for diagnostic inaccuracy on this subtest due to the leniency of the SAWAIS norms established on a cohort which is 25 years out of date. Clinicians are advised to use tests which meet international standards. A further suggestion is that clinicians should use normative data which are appropriate to the highly influential variable of educational level, rather than inflating the importance of the geographical location of a test's standardization group.