Measuring intelligence has always been an area of interest. Psychologists have been attempting to understand it from different perspectives and measure it on a scale.
The present tools used to measure the IQ (intelligence quotient) in the country followed Western models and are dated.
A group of Indian psychologists have teamed up by a Made-in-India model to measure the IQ of students and adults.
The team, led by J P Das (Prof. Emeritus, Dept of Education Psychology, University of Alberta, Canada), comprises educational, rehabilitation and clinical psychologists.
They tested the model on 1,700 children aged 5-20, covering five States of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha before standardising the model.
The psychometric tool to measure intelligence and cognitive skills, titled Brain-Based Intelligence Test (BBIT), can provide a framework for integrating biology and cognitive processes that directly affect education and brain plasticity.
This test also assists clinicians in the diagnosis of impairment of cortical functions as evident in conditions like stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Additionally, this test has diagnostic criteria to identify hyperactivity and specific learning difficulties in children.
How it is different
“Intelligence is reframed here as a selective cluster of different cognitive processes often localized in broad divisions of the brain,” Pooja Jha Nair, a rehabilitation psychologist, told BusinessLine.
“A brain-based approach not only relates to how intelligence works, but also opens the door to understanding the mind and hence consciousness,” she pointed out.
“This test has been made ground up from conception to its publication completely in India. Presently, quality IQ assessment tools are expensive and available for limited age range,” she said.
In this background, BBIT becomes promising by covering those in the age group of 5 to 20 years and comes with an affordable price, she says.
“The test measures executive functions of the brain like cognitive flexibility which enables us to change our cognitive strategies, if need be,” she said.
The test gives insights into a person’s social problem-solving skills and other key aspects like attention span and reasoning skills.
A lot of statistics and calculation has gone into the process to make it a reliable and valid test. Interpretation varies according to the score and age.