Telehealth Equivalence of the Perceptual Reasoning Index and Processing Speed Index of the WAIS-IV

Abstract

"The telehealth validity literature to date has mostly investigated brief cognitive screeners, or test batteries with primarily verbal instructions that do not rely on physical materials or measure visual skills. This has inhibited the adoption of telehealth assessment in clinical practice. Recent literature has shown promise for the telehealth validity of the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), provided a trained test facilitator is present with the participant, however, more evidence is needed. The necessity of a trained facilitator further limits the ubiquitous access to psychological services that telehealth can offer. We aimed to investigate the telehealth equivalency of the WAIS-IV delivered through telehealth without a facilitator, with the standardised face-to-face administration. Equivalency of the Processing Speed Index (PSI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) were of particular interest, given their subtests require physical materials and visual skills. A within-subjects randomised counterbalanced design was utilised to assess 28 healthy participants (age range 17 - 37, who mostly identified as Australian). A two-one-sided-tests procedure was employed to determine statistical equivalence. Findings indicated that most mean differences were smaller than the expected standard error of measurement of the subtests and indices, suggesting that score differences would likely have little clinical significance. There may be small administration effects for the PRI and PSI, but these effects are not extreme enough to make their telehealth administration invalid. As such, there is modest validity evidence for a telehealth administration of the WAIS-IV with no facilitator, but further research is needed for widespread adaption. Keywords: Telehealth, Psychological Assessment, WAIS-IV, Equivalence Testing"