Interview Techniques vs Developmental Tests in Assessing the Intellectual Levels of Young Children

20 young children, 11 boys and 9 girls, 13 to 30 mo. of age were assessed developmentally on the Gesell Developmental Record by 2 psychiatric residents and on the Bayley scales by 2 psychologists. The psychologists and psychiatric residents also gave their opinions based on interviews of half of these children. Spearman correlations were high for Bayley and Gesell scores. Psychologists' estimates correlated better with the Bayley and the Gesell scores than did the estimates of psychiatry residents. Clearly, the structured tests were superior to interviewers' estimates in assessing the developmental level of these small children. After quite limited training, the psychiatric residents were able to use the Gesell scales effectively.