Page No – 298-304
Harikrishna Maiya, Catherine Joseph, and Chandana C R
Institute of Aerospace Medicine, IAF, Bangalore
Higher intellectual functioning is linked to successful military flying and mission
accomplishment in pilots. The use of intelligence test batteries and cognitive
batteries also forms an integral part of testing to assess the intellectual abilities
and memory performance of potential astronaut candidates. The objective of
the present study was to assess the verbal, performance and full scale IQs in
medically fit Indian military aviators. The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of
Intelligence test battery was administered to 50 healthy aircrew in an initial
effort to establish baseline data for intellectual abilities in this population. The
mean (SD) Verbal IQ of the group was 110.26 (7.84), the mean Performance IQ
of the aircrew was 115.38 (7.10), and the mean Full Scale IQ was 114.26 (6.37).
There were no significant differences of intellectual abilities based on demographic
characteristics. There was a positive correlation between Verbal IQ, Performance
IQ and Full Scale IQ scores. There were no significant correlations between
verbal subtests. Data obtained in medical evaluation of grounded pilots can be
compared with these normal aircrew and it can also be used as reference data
in astronaut crews’ selection and screening process