Interdisciplinarity in the design of assessment instruments: the Ecological Battery for the assessment of cognitive and linguistic functions

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been increasing criticism regarding the predominance of an experimental environment in cognitive and linguistic performance assessment methods, especially in the child population, given that there is ample evidence that the task environment determines the possibilities of resolution and cognition, which implies that the subjects under assessment are not considered in their cognitive integrity (Stromswold, 1996; Silva et al., 2014). The ecological paradigm, on the other hand, promotes the development of assessment environments that seek that the assessed subjects recreate the conditions demanded by cognition in situation (Wittrock and Baker, 1998). Technological advances, especially in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), have made it possible to speed up the assessment procedure, streamline the application process, control the stimulus conditions, among other characteristics. This paper presents the guidelines of an assessment instrument designed under these requirements, the Digital Ecological Battery for Cognitive and Linguistic Assessment (Silva et al., 2015), succinctly describes the preliminary results of its application in a population of children with Typical Development (TD) and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). The Battery is an assessment software comprising 13 tests (adaptations, versions and original tests) designed to measure: Working Memory (storage and functioning), Attention, General Intelligence, Narrative Performance, Establishment of Referential Relationships and Conversational Interaction Performance in children aged 5 to 14 years. Preliminary results point to the need to reconsider certain descriptions of the population, especially with regard to developmental aspects of social cognition.