Objective versus Individual Mental Ability Tests with Former Head Start Children in the First Grade

Abstract

To determine if individual or objective mental ability tests provide more accurate information with culturally deprived children when they reach primary grades, the SRA PMA Test K-1 was administered in the first grade to 62 former Head Start white and Negro boys and girls. The Columbia Mental Maturity Scale, Goodenough Draw-A-Man Test, and Vineland Maturity Scale were administered 6 mo. earlier. On the PMA, significant differences were found for Verbal Meaning, Number Facility, and Total Score for the 4 groups, with scores for whites higher than for Negroes. White boys exceeded girls on all subtests, while Negro boys exceeded Negro girls except on Total Score. Perceptual Speed scores were elevated beyond other scores for all but white girls. Whites exceeded Negroes by an average of 9 mo. on the Primary Mental Abilities, while on the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale the difference was 13 mo. Subject to the users' understanding of the PMA, it appears to be reasonably applicable for use with ethnic and culturally deprived groups in primary grades and could serve as an alternative to individual mental ability testing.