Test of Nonverbal Intelligence – 4th Ed.

TONI-4

Test Review

• Constitutive Definition:– The ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's

environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria defines as intelligence

• Operational Definition:The authors define intelligence as Spearman’s g and fluid intelligence.

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence Tests• The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children,

Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003);• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale,

FourthEdition (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008);• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition

(Roid, 2003); • Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities

(Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001);• Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Fourth Edition

(TONI-4; Brown, Sherbenou, & Johnsen, 2010);• Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (Bracken

& McCallum, 1997)

Test Description• Published by PRO-ED located in Austin, Texas• Measures general intelligence.• Ideal for populations with language, hearing,

motor impairment, or that are unfamiliar with mainstream American culture

• Not intended to test individuals with visual impairments

• Test administrators need some formal training.• Test administrators also need a fundamental

understanding of mental ability testing and measurement.

Purpose of TONI-4• General intellectual functioning• Intellectual impairment • Treatment, therapy or special services• Hypothesis

• Age Range: 6 years 0 month through 89 years 11 months.

• The first 19 questions are for ages 6 to 9 years, and the remaining questions are for ages 10 and older.

• The time to finish the test is 15 minutes.• Every correct response is scored as 1 point,

and incorrect response is scored as 0 point.

Specific Description

Scoring• Basal: The highest level at which an individual

scores five consecutive correct responses.• Ceiling: The third error out of five consecutive

responses.

I. Index Scores: Mean is 100 and SD is 15.II. PercentilesIII. Age EquivalentsIV. Descriptive Terms• The manual provides a corresponding

descriptive rating with each index score interval.

Types of Scores

Descriptive Terms

Index Score Descriptive

Rating

>130 Very Superior

121-130 Superior

111-120 Above Average

90-110 Average

80-89 Below Average

79-79 Poor

<70 Very Poor

Test Construction• Item generation procedures

- Features such as shape, position, direction,rotation,contiguity, shading, size, and movement

- Added 6 items for a total of 60 items which reduced the floor and ceiling effects

- The two forms were evenly distributed in item similarity and difficulty.

Item Analysis• Classical Test Theory

– Item Discrimination: A point-biserial correlation between each item and the total scores resulted in enough magnitude for positive content validity.

– Item Difficulty averaged about 50%, with items ranging between 15% and 85%, which is acceptable degree for item discrimination.

• Item Response Theory– A logistic regression was used to test all items. – Three dichotomous groups were compared by effect sizes. (e.g. male

vs. female, African American vs. non-African American, and Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic)

– The result show the items unlikely to be biased.

• Item Analysis for Bias– Any biased items with moderate (34% -70%) or large (>70%) effect

sizes were deleted and replaced with unbiased items.

Standardization Sample• 2,272 participants from 31 states were

tested in South, West, Northeast, and Midwest by trained experts.

• English verbal instructions were used for 77% of the normative sample, while the remaining used nonverbal instructions.

• The sample was proportionally stratified relative to the U.S. population at the time the test was developed by age, race, gender, location, parental education, and socioeconomic status.

Reliability and Validty• Test-retest reliability (n=63)• Alternate form (n=63)– Immediate administration– Delayed administration

• Interscorer agreement • Concurrent validity (n=112)– CTONI-2– TONI-3

• Evidence of decrease in cultural and language factors

• Addition of verbal instructions• New normative data collected and stratified• Addition of 6 items to increase difficulty• Items reordered to balance forms• Test duration relatively short

Strengths

• Normative sample tested with English version• Stratification into subgroups– Exceptionality subgroup

• Sample size of certain reliability and validity determinants

• Scorers are not independent

Weaknesses

• Good alternative to verbal intelligence tests• Diagnose intellectual impairments in

individuals whose performance may be confounded by language, cultural, or physical impairments

• Verify referrals for special services

Recommendations