Smith, Fern (2018) Distinguishing Processing Speed, Visual Perception, and Graphomotor Skills. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children’s Processing Speed Index (WISC-PSI) evaluates an individual’s ability to work quickly and efficiently with visual information. In doing so, this index requires the participant to utilize both their visual perception and graphomotor skills in order to complete the task’s requirements. When a deficit in this index is identified, the clinician must decide to what level slowed performance is attributable to a processing speed deficit or a function of the inefficiencies of the two other cognitive processes. While clinicians are required to evaluate the impact of the three systems, little is known about the relationship between them and the implication it has on interpreting the nature of deficits. The current study used an archival clinical database of children and adolescents to examine the relationship between processing speed, visual abilities and graphomotor skills. This project focused on specific measures of these three cognitive domains, the WISC-PSI and the complete Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (Beery). Base rates and correlations of the different domains (visual perception, motor coordination, visual-motor integration, and processing speed) were examined in order to better understand the relationship between these measures. The results indicate that the Beery has potential utility in differentiating true processing speed deficits, from graphomotor problems and visual-motor problems when children score below the 10th percentile on the PSI. Psychologists constraining their battery to the WISC without the Beery risk failing to identify important developmental difficulties.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Adina Piovesana |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 23:45 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 23:45 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Beery VMI, children and adolescents, graphomotor, processing speed, WISC-PSI. |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52767 |
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