Evaluating the Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition's short-term memory subtests as predictors of intelligence in preschoolers

The present study evaluated the Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition's (SB:FE) short-term memory subtests ability to accurately predict placement in average, high average and intellectually gifted classifications. Limited research has suggested that memory capabilities of intellectually gifted preschool children may not differ from those of average and high average preschool children (Howe, 1990: Peralth et al., 1994.) In comparison, intellectually gifted children of elementary and middle-school age perform at a higher ability level with regard to memory than their non-gifted peers (Bjorkman, 1990; Sternberg, 1991; Gaultney, 1996). A possible rationale for this belief is based in Flavell and Wellman's (1977) theory of metacognition. More specifically, preschool children do not have the understanding of the capacity, efficiency and the function of one's memory.;The participants utilized were 410 children who ranged in age from 4 years, three months to five years, nine months. These children were administered the SB:FE in the Spring of 1995 and 1996 for the purposes of pining admission to a gifted program for intellectually gifted kindergartners. Participants in this study were assigned to three groups; intellectually gifted (125 and above) high average (111--124) and average (89--110), based on Composite scores from the SB:FE.;It was hypothesized that the subtests from the Short-Term Memory Area will have lower correlations with the participants' overall intelligence score for the gifted intelligence group than either the high average intelligence or average intelligence groups. This hypothesis was not supported by the data. It was also hypothesized that the Bead Memory subtest would have a higher rate of false negatives in estimating Composite Standard Area Scores for participants in the gifted intelligence group than the other two groups. Support was found for this hypothesis. Other hypotheses proposed that the Bead Memory subtest would be the subtest with the lowest mean score for the gifted and high average intelligence group and that the variability of the Bead Memory subtest will be greater than that of all other subtests administered for the gifted intelligence group and the high average group. These hypotheses were also supported.;Results were interpreted and implications for use of the SB:FE in differentiating between gifted and non-gifted preschool samples were considered. In addition, suggestions for future research in this area are discussed.