Abstract
This study explored the effects of four sub-domains of acculturation, or degree of alignment with the culture in which one resides, on seven cognitive processes at an index level using the Short Parallel Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (SPANS). Explorations between acculturation and cognitive testing were previously limited to cohorts in the US, and effects for ethnically-diverse groups in the UK has not been explored. The SPANS was selected due to its wide capability to expound cognitive performance across a host of neuropsychological skills, abilities, both at a subtest and an index level of assessment. A total of 231 ethnically-diverse healthy non-White British people participated. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that self-reported language acculturation significantly predicted a performance-based test of SPANS linguistic ability, and cultural knowledge uniquely associated with tests of orientation. The proportion of UK lifetime residency also predicted SPANS orientation, linguistic ability, and cognitive flexibility at an index level. Subtest-level correlations revealed that aside from all seven subtests that compose the language index, and one that relates to political leadership, four additional subtests significantly correlated with one or more dimensions of acculturation. These subtests could be characterised as having a strong linguistic working memory component or attention. However, extracted in isolation, these subtests alone limit the interpretation of acculturation, as it is unclear if there are any underlying cognitive processes that may be associated with acculturation. Future directions for SPANS research were also discussed.
Highlights
Assessing cognitive abilities within diverse cultural populations is challenging
Language acculturation was assessed in terms of proficiency, and this being the case, it should not be surprising to find an association between language acculturation and the Language index (LAI)
This study on the other hand incorporated a test battery that was reliable in assessing cognitive constructs at the index level, using multiple co-normed subtests that each predominantly rely upon the same cognitive skill or ability, or construct, for success or failure on that item
Summary
Assessing cognitive abilities within diverse cultural populations is challenging. Many measures of acculturation usually include attitudes, behaviours, and the level of socio-cultural competency across ‘life’ domains such as language, social affiliation, food preference, media, and cultural knowledge It is for these reasons that acculturation should be assessed across a number of life domains or dimensions (Arends-Tóth and Van de Vijver 2006). Age and education are usually treated as covariates, and these are known to simultaneously affect cognitive performance, as well as acculturation (Cheung et al 2011; Khawaja et al 2016) These evidences seem to suggest that higher levels of acculturation uniquely account for better performance across a host of neuropsychological measures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
