Nonverbal instruments were developed primarily to

• A. Nonverbal instruments were developed primarily to control for the influences of language and culture.
• B. Improve scoring speed.
• C. Increase administrative convenience.
• D. Expand the range of topics covered.

Answer: (A)

Nonverbal instruments focus on reducing language and cultural influences to measure constructs more fairly across diverse clients. By using tasks that rely on pictures, patterns, or performance rather than spoken or written language, these tests minimize how language proficiency or cultural background can shape responses. This helps ensure that the scores reflect the intended ability or trait—such as perceptual reasoning or nonverbal aspects of personality—rather than how well someone speaks the test language or is familiar with cultural content. In counseling, this is especially important for clients who are bilingual, immigrants, or have limited exposure to the test language, because it improves fairness and interpretability of the results. While scoring speed or administrative convenience may be considerations in test design, they are not the primary driver for developing nonverbal instruments.