Abstract
Ethnicity and cultural experience can affect neuropsychological performance, but they are rarely assessed in historical context. Attention measures are considered strongly biologically determined and therefore potentially culture-fair. In this study, we assessed the cross-cultural equivalence of Spanish and English versions of the Trail Making Test (TMT; Reitan, 1958, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 8, 271-276) and the Brief Test of Attention (BTA; Schretlen et al., 1996, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 10, 80-89) in two large samples of Americans (N = 203) and Spaniards (N = 213), divided into younger and older subgroups. The older Spaniards lived under Franco's political regime (1936-1975), whereas the Americans never experienced such repression. Overall, TMT performance was culture-sensitive, whereas BTA performance was not. However, when both groups were stratified by age, cultural differences in TMT performance were restricted to older participants, suggesting that historical experience across generations might have contributed to the observed differences in cognitive performance. Even such basic cognitive processes as attention, working memory, and resource sharing might be shaped to some degree by historical experiences that contribute to cultural differences.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 104-115 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Neuropsychology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- attention
- Brief Test of Attention
- cohort effects
- cross-cultural neuropsychology
- historical experience
- Trail Making Test
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Cite this
Age differences in cognitive performance : A study of cultural differences in Historical Context. / Ojeda, Natalia; Aretouli, Eleni; Peña, Javier; Schretlen, David.
In: Journal of Neuropsychology, Vol. 10, No. 1, 01.03.2016, p. 104-115.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Age differences in cognitive performance
T2 - A study of cultural differences in Historical Context
AU - Ojeda, Natalia
AU - Aretouli, Eleni
AU - Peña, Javier
AU - Schretlen, David
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - Ethnicity and cultural experience can affect neuropsychological performance, but they are rarely assessed in historical context. Attention measures are considered strongly biologically determined and therefore potentially culture-fair. In this study, we assessed the cross-cultural equivalence of Spanish and English versions of the Trail Making Test (TMT; Reitan, 1958, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 8, 271-276) and the Brief Test of Attention (BTA; Schretlen et al., 1996, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 10, 80-89) in two large samples of Americans (N = 203) and Spaniards (N = 213), divided into younger and older subgroups. The older Spaniards lived under Franco's political regime (1936-1975), whereas the Americans never experienced such repression. Overall, TMT performance was culture-sensitive, whereas BTA performance was not. However, when both groups were stratified by age, cultural differences in TMT performance were restricted to older participants, suggesting that historical experience across generations might have contributed to the observed differences in cognitive performance. Even such basic cognitive processes as attention, working memory, and resource sharing might be shaped to some degree by historical experiences that contribute to cultural differences.
AB - Ethnicity and cultural experience can affect neuropsychological performance, but they are rarely assessed in historical context. Attention measures are considered strongly biologically determined and therefore potentially culture-fair. In this study, we assessed the cross-cultural equivalence of Spanish and English versions of the Trail Making Test (TMT; Reitan, 1958, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 8, 271-276) and the Brief Test of Attention (BTA; Schretlen et al., 1996, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 10, 80-89) in two large samples of Americans (N = 203) and Spaniards (N = 213), divided into younger and older subgroups. The older Spaniards lived under Franco's political regime (1936-1975), whereas the Americans never experienced such repression. Overall, TMT performance was culture-sensitive, whereas BTA performance was not. However, when both groups were stratified by age, cultural differences in TMT performance were restricted to older participants, suggesting that historical experience across generations might have contributed to the observed differences in cognitive performance. Even such basic cognitive processes as attention, working memory, and resource sharing might be shaped to some degree by historical experiences that contribute to cultural differences.
KW - attention
KW - Brief Test of Attention
KW - cohort effects
KW - cross-cultural neuropsychology
KW - historical experience
KW - Trail Making Test
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959373703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84959373703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jnp.12059
DO - 10.1111/jnp.12059
M3 - Article
C2 - 25418760
AN - SCOPUS:84959373703
VL - 10
SP - 104
EP - 115
JO - Journal of Neuropsychology
JF - Journal of Neuropsychology
SN - 1748-6645
IS - 1
ER -