The effect of acculturation on neuropsychological test performance in first- and second-generation Asian Indians
Abstract
This study examined the relationship of self-reported acculturation and neuropsychological test performance among seventy-five normal eighteen to sixty-eight year-old Asian Indian immigrants residing in the U.S. Acculturation was measured for all participants through a self-report instrument, a modified version of the Acculturation Rating Scale (ARSII) based on the second edition of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA-II; Cuellar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995), which has been used to measure Asian-American values and social practices. The study evaluated performance on neuropsychological tests representing functions in seven ability areas (abstraction, attention, verbal fluency, memory, learning, perceptual-motor, and verbal skills). Results found that individuals who were highly acculturated to American culture performed significantly better (p < 0.01 level) than their low acculturated counterparts on eight test scores, including the North American Adult Reading Test Full Scale, Verbal and Performance IQ's, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III Information and Digit Span subtests, Grooved Pegboard (dominant hand performance), the Boston Naming Test, and the Trail Making Test Part B. Findings may have implications for culturally adjusted norms for certain neuropsychological tests. Findings may also help identify multidimensional assessment models of cultural identification and sociobehavioral characteristics such as test taking factors with Asian Indians residing in the United States.
Subject Area
Psychobiology|Psychotherapy|Psychological tests
Recommended Citation
Varghese, Dolly, "The effect of acculturation on neuropsychological test performance in first- and second-generation Asian Indians" (2004). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3149285.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3149285
