Age and Intelligence Factors as Predictors of the Development of Verbal Control of Nonverbal Behavior

The purpose of the study was to determine whether verbal IQ, performance IQ, or chronological age is a better predictor of verbal control of nonverbal behavior. The sample consisted of 20 4-year-olds and 20 5-year-olds. Each child was administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and verbal control task. The results of a stepwise regression analysis indicated performance IQ as the best predictor of verbal control of nonverbal behavior, followed by age, and then verbal IQ. It was theorized that performance IQ and verbal control of behavior require integration of the auditory decoding system and visual-motor encoding system, while verbal IQ does not require that integration. The finding that age was a better predictor than verbal IQ was a product of the statistical procedure employed with one notable exception: the female population.