A - 1 Acculturation's Effect on Neuropsychological Test Performance: a Systematic Review.

Abstract

Acculturation is not thought to reflect one's brain function; however, numerous studies have shown that less acculturated adults perform worse on neuropsychological tests. This study systematically reviews the effect of acculturation on neuropsychological tests in healthy adults. This systematic review was registered in Prospero (CRD42020196578) with the defined review procedures. It included studies with healthy adults and relational data between neuropsychological test scores and acculturation. 13,945 studies were screened studies and 8 met inclusion criteria. After accounting for demographic factors (including education), acculturation was a positive predictor of performance on tests of dementia screening, processing speed, attention, executive functioning, language, and memory. This relationship remained after accounting for both demographic factors and English Fluency, and specifically on tests of IQ, language, and visuoconstruction. These results support measuring and considering acculturation when interpreting both verbal and "non-verbal" test results. At a minimum acculturation should be factored into test selection, normative selection, and clinical judgment. Looking forward it is hoped that new norms and tests will be developed to eliminate the effect of one's culture on test performance.