Cognitive Functioning in Relation to some Eco-Cultural and Acculturational Features of Tribal Groups of Bihar

Description and explanation of psychological differences among human populations as a function of their cultural diversity is one of the major tasks of cross-cultural psychology. Pictures and pictorial materials have been widely used as tasks for the study of cognitive functioning. Recognition of line drawings has been used as a measure of intellectual development on tests like the Stanford-Binet, and picture assembly constitutes an important subtest of the Wechsler scale. This chapter examines the cognitive functioning of some indigenous people of Bihar, India in relation to their eco-cultural and accul-turational characteristics. The Chotanagpur region of Bihar consists of a large number of valleys and hills ranging between 600 to 900 meters above sea level. The Asurs represent one of the minor tribes of Bihar.