A Review of Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2012, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (4) : 984-987.

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2012, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (4) : 984-987.

A Review of Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test

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Abstract

The first Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal intelligence test (SON test) was published in 1943 by Mrs. Nan Snijders-Oomen as a result of her work with children at the Institute for the Deaf in Sint-Michielsgestel. SON Test is extremely popular in Europe and then spread to Latin America and Asia. Over a period of sixty years, a series of revised versions of SON test have been published --- SON-'58, SON 2.5-7, SSON, SON-R 5.5-17, and SON-R 2.5-7. The new version, SON-R 6-40, is expected to be published in 2011. In this paper the two latest revisions of the SON-test, the SON-R 5.5-17 and the SON-R 6-40, will be described. The SON-R 5.5-17, published in 1988, is a general intelligence test for people ranging from 5.5 to 17 years old. This test includes 7 subtests of Categories, Analogies, Situations, Stories, Mosaics, Patterns and Hidden Pictures, measuring four kinds of abilities --- abstract reasoning ability, concrete reasoning ability, spatial ability and perceptual ability. Research results of SON-R 5.5-17 with various groups of children have been published, indicating acceptable internal consistency reliability, generalizability and validity. The SON-R 6-40 selects four subtests from SON-R 5.5-17 --- Analogies, Mosaics, Categories, and Patterns, assessing a broad spectrum of cognitive abilities of people ranging from 6 to 40 years old without involving the use of language. Standardization of SON-R 6-40 have been taking place since 2009 and will be finished in 2011. A number of features make the SON test particularly suitable for various groups, especially for children who are difficult to test. In the first place, the SON test has both verbal and non-verbal instructions, which makes it especially suitable for children who have problems or handicaps in language, speech or communication. Additionally, the adaptive procedure in presenting the items and the discontinuation rules restrict the administration of items that are too difficult for subjects. Simultaneously, the feedback is given as to whether the subject's answer is right or wrong. Last but not least, the cognitive diagnosis function of the SON test makes the assessments and interventions of mental retarded people possible. Because of all the advantages of SON test, it is critical to put it to use in China, both experimentally and practically.

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nonverbal intelligence test / intelligence assessment / test application

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A Review of Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2012, 35(4): 984-987

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