MUMBAI, India, Sept. 14 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641096742 A) filed by Christ University on August 11, 2026, for A Structured Framework For Contextual Validity Audit And Transformation Of Psychological Theories An.
Inventors include Imlingangzuk Longkumer; and Lijo Thomas.
The application for the patent was published on September 11, 2026, under issue no. 37/2026.
Abstract: Protocol (ITCAP). The ITCAP provides a rigorous protocol for auditing and adapting psychological theories and standardised instruments or surveys in social and psychological sciences for use in indigenous tribal communities prior to statistical validation and qualitative interpretation. The framework was developed to address an important concern in cross-cultural research, namely whether theoretical constructs, psychological concepts and measurement tools are genuinely suitable and meaningful within a specific indigenous cultural setting before they are used in research or professional practice. The ITCAP consists of six guiding sections and protocols that help researchers understand community-specific contextual factors, examine the relevance of the theories and concepts being studied, and review individual items within survey instruments or psychometric tools. It also helps identify psychosocial terms that may differ across cultures such as the diverse Indian tribal communities and aligns them with indigenous terminology, while supporting community-based validation of the findings and maintaining structured documentation throughout the process. The six sections follow two main audit streams allowing for both theoretical concepts and survey instruments items to be analysed through six cultural dimensions including ecological, historical, relational, spiritual, institutional and linguistic aspects of indigenous tribal life and world views, and produces five structured output namely, a Construct Gap Map, a Psychometric Gap Map, a Reinterpretation Layer, a Nomenclature Bridge Register, and a Contextual Validity Index that permits systematic comparison across instruments and communities. The framework was implemented on empirical data from Naga indigenous tribal communities from Nagaland, Northeast India, applying Self-Determination Theory and a battery of standardised instruments measuring psychological needs satisfaction, self-determination, socio-cultural adaptation, and academic adjustment. The resulting Contextual Validity Index values varied across the instruments and corresponded with their observed statistical behaviour in the sample, establishing the functional operability of the framework. The invention enables systematic pre- validation assessment of psychological theories and instruments and is applicable in psychological research, cross-cultural assessment, mental health evaluation, education, and policy development involving indigenous populations.
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