GAMA^®
(General Ability Measure for Adults)

Authors: Jack A. Naglieri, PhD, and Achilles N. Bardos, PhD

Non-verbal assessment of an individual's general intellectual ability

The GAMA test (General Ability Measure for Adults) is a self-administered, timed test that uses abstract designs, shapes, and colors to help measure general ability. Normed on a census-based sample of 2,360 adults, it can be effective with a variety of populations and can be administered to individuals or groups. The GAMA IQ score helps estimate an individual's general intellectual ability and the 4 subtest scores provide additional information about the individual's performance.

How to Use This Test The GAMA test can be used by clinical professionals and psychologists in a variety of settings, including:

• As part of a psychological evaluation when a brief tool is needed to help assess general cognitive ability



• When evaluating people who speak English as a second language or who read at a low level



• With special populations such as deaf adults, the elderly, and individuals with learning disabilities, mental retardation, or traumatic brain injury



• For neuropsychology and forensic evaluations



• For large-scale assessment, e.g. with correctional or military populations



• In counseling and psychotherapy settings to help choose interventions that match a client's intellectual ability



• For counseling to facilitate vocational decisions

Key Features

• Self-administered, 25-minute, timed test. Its brevity enables clinicians to include the test as part of a complete cognitive assessment.



• Administered individually or with groups.



• Highly correlated with other intelligence measures, the GAMA test helps provide convenience without sacrificing quality.



• The nonverbal format helps overcome language, cultural and educational barriers, making it useful with diverse populations.



• Requires less training for administrators than many other general abilities tests.

Test Items

The GAMA test's nonverbal item content helps overcome language, cultural, and educational barriers.

The GAMA test design allows you to test people who were previously difficult to test. GAMA test items require a person to apply reasoning and logic to solve problems that exclusively use abstract design and shapes. This design minimizes the effects of knowledge, verbal expression, and verbal comprehension on test scores.

The GAMA test uses four types of test items and subscales:

• Matching
• Sequences
• Analogies
• Construction

Matching: Requires examination of the shapes and colors of stimulus to determine which response option is identical.

Sequences: Requires the analysis of the interrelationships of designs as they move through space.

Analogies: Involves the discovery of the relationships in a pair of abstract figures and the recognition of similar conceptual relationships in a different pair of figures.

Construction: Involves the analysis, synthesis, and rotation of spatial designs to construct a new figure.

GAMA Test Results Provide an Efficient Description of General Ability

An individual's GAMA IQ test score is based on the four subtest scales scores. Using hand-scoring materials or computerized scoring, you will generate a graphic representation of the person's total score with a 90% confidence interval. An Ability Classification (from Well Below Average to Very Superior) and a Percentile rank are also reported. Subtest scores include a classification, a deviation score, and Strength/Weakness indications.

Quick Facts

About the Authors

Jack A. Naglieri, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Cognitive Development at George Mason University and also a senior Research Scientist at the Devereux Foundation’s Institute for Clinical Training and Research. He earned his PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia in 1979 after working as a school psychologist in New York (1974–1977). The author of more than 150 scholarly works, he has focused most of his efforts on reconceptualizing intelligence. He is also the author of many tests including the Cognitive Assessment System, Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders and School Form, Draw A Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (Naglieri, McNeish, and Bardos, 1991), and Quantitative Scoring Systems.

Achilles N. Bardos, PhD, is Professor of School Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. He earned his elementary school teaching certificate in Greece. Following his studies at Wright State University (BS, Psychology), Ball State University (MA, Educational Psychology), and The Ohio State University (PhD, School Psychology, Research Methods), he held a two-year appointment (1988–1990) in the school psychology program at Alfred University in New York. Since 1990, he has been a faculty member in the Division of Professional Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. His teaching and research interests include intelligence, psychological and educational assessment, measurement, computer applications in psychology, program evaluation, and evaluation of psychological services. He has published many articles, book chapters, and presented over 100 papers and workshops at national and international conferences. He co-authored the Draw A Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (by Naglieri, McNeish, and Bardos, published in 1991). Dr. Bardos is author of the BASI™ (Basic Achievement Skills Inventory) test. In addition, he has consulted in the development of other intelligence and personality tests. Dr. Bardos can be reached at (970) 351-1629 or abardos@comcast.net.

Scales

The GAMA IQ score provides an estimate of general ability based on the scores on 4 subtest scales.

• Matching
• Analogies
• Sequences
• Construction

The subtest scores can also be analyzed to provide additional information about the individual's performance.

Norms

The GAMA test was normed on a census-based sample of 2,360 adults stratified by age, gender, race or ethnic group, educational level, and geographic region. The sample was partitioned into 11 age groups. The age groups and sample sizes are listed below. In addition, studies were undertaken during the development of the GAMA test to enhance its usefulness with special populations such as deaf adults, adults with learning disabilities or traumatic brain injury, or mentally retarded adults, and the elderly.

Report Option

Profile Report (Product Number 51510)
The report includes narrative and graphic information on the GAMA IQ score, based on the four subtest scores, as well as:

• A graphic representation of the respondent's total score with a 90% to 95% confidence interval.
• An Ability Classification (from Well-Below-Average to Very-Superior) and a Percentile rank.
• The four subtest scores and a classification, a deviation score, and a Strength/Weakness indication for each subtest.

View a sample Profile Report.

Scoring Options

Q™ Local Software - Enables you to score assessments, report results, and store and export data on your computer.

Mail-in Scoring Service - Specially designed answer sheets are mailed to us for processing within 24–48 hours of receipt and returned via regular mail.

Hand Scoring - Administer assessments on answer sheets and score them quickly yourself with an answer key.

Optical Scan Scoring - Allows you to score the assessments at your site.

Common Questions and Answers

How reliable and valid is the GAMA test?
The GAMA IQ score reliability ranges from 0.79 to 0.94 across normative age groups, with an average of 0.90 (reliability based on a linear composite). The test-retest reliability for the GAMA IQ score is 0.67 over a 2- to 6-week interval for a sample of 86 people. The validity coefficients between the GAMA IQ score and other intelligence tests range from .70 with the K-BIT to .75 with the WAIS-R^® FSIQ. Additional reliability and validity statistics can be found in Chapter 5 of the GAMA manual.

Were the GAMA items checked for bias between different groups?
All items were examined with the Mantel-Haenzel statistical procedure for detecting differential item functioning between males and females, and whites and non-whites.

Can I use the GAMA test for group administration?
Yes, there are group administration instructions in the manual.

Adult Personality - Adolescent Personality - Biopsychosocial - Careers - Achievement/Cognitive
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