A-51 The Effect of Acculturation on Neuropsychological Test Performance; a Systematic Review

Abstract

Abstract Objective While neuropsychological testing is often seen as an unbiased form of measuring brain function, recent literature has emerged detailing possible effects of cultural competence on test performance (Fernandez, 2018). This systematic review examined the effects of acculturation on neuropsychological tests across domains and populations in existing literature. We anticipated that “verbal” tests would be more affected by acculturation, and we were unsure if specific patient populations or ethnic groups would be more affected. Data Selection A preliminary search for articles of acculturation and neuropsychological performance was conducted; Search terms included acculturat* (acculturation, acculturate), cultural assimilation* (assimilate, assimilation), neuropsychological test (test performance), and cognitive domains (cognition, intelligence, learning, memory). Over 10,000 studies were screened; the 39 studies included in analysis had quantitative data only, adult populations (18+), an acculturation measure or proxy (place of birth, length of time in the US, and English language use/proficiency), and relational data between neuropsychological test performance and acculturation. Data synthesis A narrative synthesis of included articles was performed prior to data extraction; data extracted from these articles include unadjusted correlation coefficients, partial correlation, regression model outputs, and descriptive statistics. Results are still being compiled but initial findings suggest that generally, increased acculturation leads to better performance. Conclusion Initial results show that increased acculturation to “white America,” leads to better neuropsychological test performances. This effect is more noticeable on verbal tests. Results of this review will be beneficial in understanding how cultural bias may negatively influence the accuracy of neuropsychological test results.