A - 78 Verbal Fluency Tasks Showed Lower Performance in Hispanic Vs. Non-Hispanic White Group

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Abstract Objective Neuropsychological tests administered in the U.S. are primarily designed for English-speaking and White populations. Language spoken, education, age, and acculturation have been shown to impact test performance in Hispanic populations. With a growing Hispanic population in the U.S., there is a demand for greater normative efforts in neuropsychological tests, especially verbal fluency tests. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites on verbal fluency tasks. Methods Adults (N = 65, age 18–81, M = 32.83) reported as either Hispanic (n = 17) or non-Hispanic White (n = 48). Verbal fluency tasks included Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Letter (LF) and Category Fluency (CF [Animals + Boys’ Names]) subtests. Results One-way ANOVA found that the Hispanic group showed lower correct responses in D-KEFS-CF (F(1, 63) = 4.84, p = 0.031, n2 = 0.71) than the non-Hispanic White group. Post hoc analysis showed lower performance in the Boys’ Names subtest (F(1, 63) = 4.458, p = 0.039, n2 = 0.066) and within the first interval (F(1, 63) = 4.788, p = 0.032, n2 = 0.071). Conclusions Results indicated that performance in verbal fluency tasks was lower in the Hispanic group –particularly in total boys’ names generation and within the first interval. This may derive from bilingual considerations and lesser cultural familiarity with American boys’ names. Although this study has limitations, further research should examine test performance differences on D-KEFS CF between Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites to ensure accurate representation and reduce the risk of misclassifying Hispanics with language functioning deficits.