Returning to India in 1969, she became a faculty member in Psychology at Delhi University for 26 years. She was recognized for her research on Attention by being invited to serve on the Advisory Council of the International Society for the Study of Attention and Performance working closely with M. Posner of the University of Oregon. She was academically productive and had published over 100 papers. The paper was started when Professor Sen visited the Developmental Disabilities Centre at the University of Alberta in 1994. Professor Sen leaves behind her husband, Professor Arun Sen, and two sons.
Mental retardation is associated with a variety of deprivations.
Natural deprivation, due to pathogenic causes leading to malfunctioning of cognitive processes, a broad spectrum of man-made environmental conditions such as social and cultural deprivations, malnutrition, faulty child rearing practices, and an unstimulating home environment have been associated as causes in relation to mental retardation. The study investigated the problem of mental retardation among rural school children, estimated the prevalence of mental retardation and identified some of the associated psycho-social factors. These children were mainly concentrated in the lower elementary school grades. Malnutrition was found to be widely prevalent among all rural children, but children with mental retardation were more malnourished as compared to their normal peers. This was also reflected in the anthropometric measurements which were significantly poorer in the case of children with mental retardation.