Psyche Cattell (August 2, 1893 – April 17, 1989) was an American psychologist who studied children and aimed to develop intelligence tests for infants.
She published a book on intelligence testing and established a nursery school in her home which operated from 1941 to 1974.
She is best known for the Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale, a downward extension of IQ testing used to assess children's development.
[3] When she earned enough tuition money, she attended Barnard College from 1912 to 1914 and Sargent School of Physical Education from 1913 to 1917.
She eventually gained admission to Cornell University but, without a high school diploma, she was denied an undergraduate degree.
While a research assistant, she discovered that many of these mental tests could be improved, as they pertained more to school aged children than to infants.
Cattell assisted with many developmental intelligence tests which revolved around the brain development of children and the impact of their environment on it.
The goal of these tests was to analyze brain development in young children as well as identify the ways in which birth conditions affect the central nervous system.
The Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale was considered particularly impactful because of its younger age range, short administration time, and easy scoring methods.
She published her findings in her book, The Measurement of Intelligence of Infants and Young Children, and sold some kits to perform the scale commercially.