The Test of Auditory Processing Skills - Third Edition (TAPS-3): Validity Analyses and Reconceptualization Based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll Model of Cognitive Abiliities

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships between subtests from a recently revised measure of auditory processing, The Test of Auditory Processing Skills – Third Edition (TAPS-3) (Martin & Brownell, 2005) and subtests from other commonly used measures of cognitive and academic skills, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) (Wechsler, 2003), Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Second Edition (WIAT-II) (Wechsler, 2001), and Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Revised and Upper Level – Revised (TVPS-R, TVPS-UL-R) (Gardener, 1996, 1997). Using the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of cognitive abilities as a theoretical guide and the multitrait-multimethod matrix methodology of Campbell and Fiske (1959), hypotheses were generated about these relationships. Data for this study came from 40 psychoeducational evaluations of children referred due to academic difficulties. Results revealed significant relationships between TAPS-3 subtests and the CHC abilities of Auditory Processing (Ga), Short-Term Memory (Gsm), and Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), as measured by subtests of the WISC-IV and WIAT-II, providing some evidence of convergent validity of the TAPS-3. Discriminant validity was also demonstrated with measures of Visual Processing (Gv), Quantitative Knowledge (Qq), and to lesser degrees, Fluid Intelligence (Gf) and Processing Speed (Gs). Findings suggest that the TAPS-3 measures multiple cognitive abilities and may not be a pure measure of auditory processing.