Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Encyclopedia
The PPVT-IV, updated in 2007, is an untimed, individual intelligence test. The test measures an individual's receptive (hearing) vocabulary
for Standard American English and provides a quick estimate of their verbal ability or scholastic aptitude. It was created in 1959 by two pioneers in special education
, Llyod M. Dunn and Leota M. Dunn. The current version lists L.M. Dunn and his son D.M. Dunn as authors.
dependent upon their age. The total score can be converted to a percentile rank
, mental age
, or a standard deviation
IQ score. Although desirable, no special training is required to properly administer and score the PPVT-III. However, anyone interpreting or explaining the test scores should have knowledge in psychological testing
and statistic
s.
Tests the ‘Lexical Retrieval Hypothesis” - that gestures help to access words for speech production
s obtained on 828 persons ages 19 to 40 selected to be nationally representative of geographical regions and major occupational groups. No people with handicaps were included in the norm population.
Two parallel forms (A and B) can be used for testing and retesting.
and has been administered to groups who had reading
or speech problems, had mental retardation
, or were emotionally withdrawn. Because the manner of the individual's response to stimulus vocabulary is to point in any fashion to one of four pictures that best fits the stimulus work, these tests also apply to rehabilitation
of individuals who have multiple physical impairments, but whose hearing
and vision
are intact. The test also has high interest value, and this can establish good rapport with a tested individual.
The PPVT-IV can also be used for assessing the English vocabulary of non-English-speaking individuals and assessing adult verbal ability.
and deaf people, but can be useful for people with mental retardation
, for whom no modifications in instructions or format are needed. The only possible problem is that the illustrations for about the first 50 items often use children. These may not be acceptable to the adult with mental retardation.
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
for Standard American English and provides a quick estimate of their verbal ability or scholastic aptitude. It was created in 1959 by two pioneers in special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
, Llyod M. Dunn and Leota M. Dunn. The current version lists L.M. Dunn and his son D.M. Dunn as authors.
Procedure
The test is given verbally and takes about 20–30 minutes. No reading is required by the individual, and scoring is rapid and objective. For its administration, the examiner presents a series of pictures to each person. There are four pictures to a page, and each is numbered. The examiner states a word describing one of the pictures and asks the individual to point to or say the number of the picture that the word describes. Item responses can also be made by multiple choice selectionMultiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
dependent upon their age. The total score can be converted to a percentile rank
Percentile rank
The percentile rank of a score is the percentage of scores in its frequency distribution that are the same or lower than it. For example, a test score that is greater than 75% of the scores of people taking the test is said to be at the 75th percentile....
, mental age
Mental age
Mental age is a concept in relation to intelligence, expressed as the age at which a child is performing intellectually. The mental age of the child that is tested is the same as the average age at which normal children achieve a particular score....
, or a standard deviation
Standard deviation
Standard deviation is a widely used measure of variability or diversity used in statistics and probability theory. It shows how much variation or "dispersion" there is from the average...
IQ score. Although desirable, no special training is required to properly administer and score the PPVT-III. However, anyone interpreting or explaining the test scores should have knowledge in psychological testing
Psychological testing
Psychological testing is a field characterized by the use of samples of behavior in order to assess psychological construct, such as cognitive and emotional functioning, about a given individual. The technical term for the science behind psychological testing is psychometrics...
and statistic
Statistic
A statistic is a single measure of some attribute of a sample . It is calculated by applying a function to the values of the items comprising the sample which are known together as a set of data.More formally, statistical theory defines a statistic as a function of a sample where the function...
s.
Tests the ‘Lexical Retrieval Hypothesis” - that gestures help to access words for speech production
Variations
The national norms of the PPVT-III were extended to include ages 2–6 to 90+ years of age. This edition also was developed from adult normNorm-referenced test
A norm-referenced test is a type of test, assessment, or evaluation which yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population, with respect to the trait being measured. This estimate is derived from the analysis of test scores and possibly other relevant data...
s obtained on 828 persons ages 19 to 40 selected to be nationally representative of geographical regions and major occupational groups. No people with handicaps were included in the norm population.
Two parallel forms (A and B) can be used for testing and retesting.
Advantages
The PPVT-IV provides an estimate of the client's verbal intelligenceVerbal intelligence
VERBAL INTELLIGENCEDefinitionVerbal Intelligence is the ability to "juggle" with the alphabet of letters: to combine them into words and sentences...
and has been administered to groups who had reading
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
or speech problems, had mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
, or were emotionally withdrawn. Because the manner of the individual's response to stimulus vocabulary is to point in any fashion to one of four pictures that best fits the stimulus work, these tests also apply to rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
of individuals who have multiple physical impairments, but whose hearing
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
and vision
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
are intact. The test also has high interest value, and this can establish good rapport with a tested individual.
The PPVT-IV can also be used for assessing the English vocabulary of non-English-speaking individuals and assessing adult verbal ability.
Limits
The test is not useful in its present form for blindBlindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and deaf people, but can be useful for people with mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
, for whom no modifications in instructions or format are needed. The only possible problem is that the illustrations for about the first 50 items often use children. These may not be acceptable to the adult with mental retardation.