Instrument Development: Trident Ф (Phi) Scale

The Trident Ф (Phi) Scale was developed to assess cognitivefunctioning, grounded in the Trident G Theory of Intelligence and Resilience. This theory integrates constructs such as general intelligence (g), fluid intelligence (Gf), crystallised intelligence (Gc), resilience (r), self-regulation and mindfulness, underpinned by the principles of brain criticality and adaptability. The scale was refined from an initial pool of 39 items, drawing on established measures of mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, reality testing, self-regulation, and resilience. Through iterative psychometric evaluation, a final set of 22 items was identified.Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with oblimin rotation revealed a robust eight-component structure, accounting for 82.5% of the total variance. Components included Gf-WM, Gf-Gc, Executive Mode, Creative Mode, Cognitive Resilience, and three facets of 'Criticality': self-regulation, reality testing, and mindfulness. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.935) and high sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.824).This multidimensional scale reflects the theoretical underpinnings of the Trident G Model and provides an initial measure of cognitive functioning. Future research with larger samples will explore its predictive validity and applicability in diverse contexts including intervention studies.