WLS Codebooks

Note: Codebooks contain frequency data from the private data release. For some variables, these differ from the frequencies in the public release. Variables that differ between the public and private versions include "(not available on public release)" as part of the variable description, or a note indicating the difference between the public and private versions.

Phone: Cognition - Similarities

GCOGSIM Cognition Similarities Module

For more information on the Cognition Similarities Module see COR859 and COR970
in Appendix G.

OVERVIEW

In the Cognition Similarities section, respondents were asked to give answers
to nine of the fourteen items from the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale
(WAIS). The five simplest items from the WAIS were eliminated due to the fact
that the general ability of the sample is high enough to cause little variation
in response to simple items.  

If the GU001RE flag (in the alcohol module; also known as "alcflag") equals 1,
the respondent was asked all 9 similarities questions; otherwise the respondent
was only asked 6 out of the 9 questions.  (GU001RE/alcflag is an 80% sample.) 
Questions #2, 4, and 7 were the ones skipped.  

Each of the nine items were assigned scores between 0 and 2, where 2 is the top
score. Respondents who did not receive the questions (due to subsampling) were
coded as "-2 Inappropriate". "-1 Don't know" includes instances in which
respondents did not provide any specific guess. "-1 Don't know" responses to
individual items count as 0 toward summary scores. "-2 Inappropriate," "-3
Refused," and "-4 Not Ascertained" do not count toward summary scores. 

Examples of 2-point, 1-point, and 0-point answers for each of the nine items
can be found in COR 970.  See the "CODING" section below, the rest of COR 859
(cor859similaritiesCodingFiles.zip), as well as COR 871 for additional
information about scoring and open-ending coding in 2004-5. For similar
information in the 1992/3 wave see Appendix G, COR458, the document Appendix
C.pdf, and similarities.pdf, which also provide detailed information on scoring
procedures.

BRIEF VARIABLE DESCRIPTION

Cognition Similarties 

    GI101RE:            6-Item Score for Cognition Similarities.

    GI106RE:            9-Item Score for Cognition Similarities. 

    GI111RE-GI119RE:    Scores for All 9 Individual Cognition Similarities 
                        Items. Does Not Include Any Total Scores. 


NOTE: See Cor 859 in Appendix G for variable creation details.

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