Ms. Nandini Rao, a school counsellor in Pune, watches the Class XII students closely at the start of the session. She notices that they differ in the way they perceive, learn and think, and also in their performance on various tasks. She decides to assess the students before planning any help. Arjun is a capable boy, but he is poorly motivated and shows little enthusiasm for any subject. Sana firmly believes that a person must be honest. She follows this belief in her own conduct and also judges her classmates by it.
Ms. Rao decides to begin with the psychological attribute that has been one of the most popular with psychologists. Which attribute is this?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Intelligence
Option (1) Intelligence — Correct. Intelligence is one of the most popular attributes studied by psychologists. People differ in their ability to understand complex ideas, adapt to the environment, learn from experience, reason and overcome obstacles.
Option (2) Aptitude — Incorrect. Aptitude is a person's underlying potential for acquiring skills. Psychologists do assess it, but it is not the attribute named as the most popular one.
Option (3) Interest — Incorrect. Interest is a person's preference for some activities over others. It helps in choosing courses, but it is not the attribute named here.
Option (4) Values — Incorrect. Values are enduring beliefs about an ideal mode of behaviour. They form another domain of assessment.
NCERT (2026-27): “INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN HUMAN FUNCTIONING … |