Types of Intelligence Tests - Infant Intelligence Tests

Infant intelligence tests help psychologists study how babies and toddlers develop mental abilities such as movement, speech, adaptation, and social interaction. These tests primarily assess a child’s development rather than pure intelligence.

Developed by Arnold Gesell, these are among the most widely used infant development tests.

The schedules categorize skills across four domains:

• Motor: Movements and coordination
• Adaptive: Problem-solving and environmental adaptation
• Language: Comprehension and verbal expression
• Personal-Social: Social awareness and self-help skills

Suitable for children aged 1 month to 2 years.

• DQ is a score used to reflect a child’s developmental status.
• Formula:
• \[DQ=\frac{DA}{CA}\times100\]
• DA: Developmental Age (age at which a child's skills match typical milestones)
• CA: Chronological Age (actual age in months)

A two-year-old child (CA = 24 months) able to complete only one-year-old tasks (DA = 12 months):

\[DQ=\frac{12}{24}\times100=50\]

Berkeley Growth Study (Bayley & Schaefer, 1964):

• Found little correlation between DQ in infants and their IQ as adolescents, indicating these are separate abilities.

Hotstaetter (1954):

• Noted that early test scores depend more on sensory-motor activity, while later scores rely more on persistence and verbal abilities.

Indian scholars have adapted intelligence tests into local languages:

• Dr. Dice: Urdu/Punjabi
• Mahalanobis: Bengali
• K.C. Desai: Gujarati

Indian performance tests include works by Bhatia, Pramila Phatak, and others.

• Believing DQ is a predictor of future IQ.
• Neglecting non-motor skills in development (language and social).
• Ignoring the role of local language/cultural context in testing.

A psychologist can observe a 12-month-old's ability to stack blocks (adaptive), say “mama” (language), or walk holding furniture (motor). Results are matched to typical developmental milestones.

• Infant intelligence tests, especially Gesell schedules, systematically assess early developmental stages.
• DQ measures progression through age-expected milestones, not lifelong intelligence.
• Intelligence evolves through complex skill sets at different developmental stages.