Leiter‐3 generalizability in Scandinavia

Abstract

The Leiter‐3 is a nonverbal assessment that evaluates cognitive abilities and has been adapted for use in Scandinavia. Generalizability of United States‐based normative scoring for use with the Scandinavian population was evaluated. Leiter‐3 scores from a sample of Scandinavian students were compared with scores obtained from the Leiter‐3 standardization sample, controlling for confounding variables, across ages, using mixed‐methods analysis. A Scandinavian‐population‐based sample was created from Leiter‐3 standardization data and norms were constructed and were used to generate standardized scores from the sample data. Results suggest that overall the Scandinavian test‐takers score higher than American test‐takers, but that differences between groups were minimized when controlling for factors that may influence cognitive performance. Creating Scandinavian based scores was not effective at reducing gaps in performance, suggesting that differences in performance between the different populations may be attributable to factors other than those typically controlled for when constructing standardized tests. Implications of these results and recommendations for Leiter‐3 adaptation are reviewed.