Performance of three racial/ethnic groups on two tests of executive function: Clinical implications for traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if race/ethnicity may influence performance of college students on the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), two different tests of executive function (EF). A total of 149 participants who self-identified as African American (AA), European American (EA), and Latina/o American (LA) constituted the three different racial/ethnic groups. Participants ranged in age range from 18 to 24 years old (SD = 1.29) and none reported histories of disabilities. The BADS was administered to 149 college students and the WCST was administered to 142 of the same participants. No statistically significant differences were found for race/ethnicity or gender on the WCST. Statistically significant differences were found for race/ethnicity on the Profile Scores (raw scores), standard scores (SS) and the Zoo Map subtest of the BADS, but no statistically significant differences were found for gender on these same tasks. While there should be less concern in administering WCST to diverse groups who are English speakers, caution should be taken in administering and interpreting the BADS for individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.