Overview
The SON-R 6-40 is a SASC-approved general intelligence test suitable for both children and adults, and assesses a broad spectrum of cognitive abilities without involving the use of language.
Suitable for
Individuals aged 6 to 40 years
Language Versions
English, Dutch, and German
Product Description
The SON-R 6-40 is designed to be applied without the use of verbal or written instruction. It is ideally suited for the assessment of individuals with communication difficulties, including the deaf, the partially deaf and those with speech disorders. Other applications include use with children with delayed development, learning disabilities or those who are otherwise difficult to test. It is also widely used with children and adults who have little or no command of English.
The assessment consists of four subtests with 124 items in total. The tests are adaptive, meaning the assessment can be carried out rapidly without compromising reliability. The use of written or spoken language is not required during testing. The adaptive test procedure and the feedback that is given after each item enhance subject motivation and contribute to the general acceptability of the instrument.
The subtests include:
- Analogies: This subtest looks at abstract and deductive reasoning. Participants must discover the principle of change in an example analogy where one geometrical figure changes in another geometrical figure, and apply this principle to another comparable figure.
- Categories: This subtest looks at abstract reasoning. Three pictures of objects have one characteristic in common. From a series of five separate pictures, participants must choose two that possess the same characteristic.
- Mosaics: This subtest is a test of performance. Participants must recreate mosaic patterns in a frame using red and white squares.
- Patterns: This subtest looks at spatial reasoning and visuo-motor skills. Each pattern consists of one or more lines with a systematic pattern. The middle part is missing and the participant is required to fill this in with the same pattern.
The SON-R differs from most intelligence tests in that after each item, feedback is given by telling the test taker whether the solution was correct or incorrect. The test administrator provides help in the case of incorrect solutions. One of the advantages of this is that the test taker has the opportunity to adjust his or her strategy. In traditional tests where no feedback is allowed, the test taker may assume incorrect answers are correct and continue using a faulty strategy. The disadvantage of giving feedback is the fact that receiving negative feedback can be demotivating. This drawback is partly compensated for through the adaptive nature of the test procedure.
Software for scoring and analysis is available. After the raw scores, the test date and the date of birth have been entered, the standard scores are calculated and a profile can be printed out.
Qualification level required:
Level 2. Please see our Test User Qualifications page for guidance.
Reliability
The reliability of the IQ score has a mean of 0.95. It increases from 0.91 at six years to 0.95 at nine years and remains at 0.96 from the age of 11.
Norms
Continuously standardised representative Dutch-German sample of approx 2,000 participants. Normalised for age, gender and education.
Release Note
2014
