Verbal Comprehension Index

Definition

The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) is one of the indices representing the major components of intelligence in two of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). It is thought to provide a relatively pure measure of verbal abilities, free of the influences of auditory attention and concentration. In the fourth edition of the WAIS (WAIS-IV), the VCI is comprised of three main subscales, with an additional supplemental scale: Similarities, which measures abstract verbal reasoning; Vocabulary, in which words must be defined singly, without context; Information, which tests general knowledge of history, art, culture, and politics; and Comprehension (supplemental), which measures the ability to understand abstract or idiomatic expressions. In the fourth edition of the WISC (WISC-IV), the VCI consists of the Vocabulary, Similarity, and Comprehension subtests, with Information and Word...