Influence of language background on tests of cognitive abilities: Australian data
Article
Article Title | Influence of language background on tests of cognitive abilities: Australian data |
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ERA Journal ID | 6118 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Carstairs, Jane R. (Author), Myors, Brett (Author), Shores, E. Arthur (Author) and Fogarty, Gerard (Author) |
Journal Title | Australian Psychologist |
Journal Citation | 41 (1), pp. 48-54 |
Number of Pages | 7 |
Year | 2006 |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
Place of Publication | Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0005-0067 |
1742-9544 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/00050060500391878 |
Abstract | This study examines the effect of language background on the performance of healthy participants on a battery of cognitive measures. The study was conducted as part of a larger normative study: the Macquarie University Neuropsychological Normative Study (MUNNS). A comparison was made between the test performance of three language background groups: participants from a non-English-speaking background whose first language was other than English (NESB-OE, N = 42); participants from a non-English-speaking background whose first language was English (NESB-E, N = 34); and participants from an English-speaking background (ESB, N = 40). A number of tests used in clinical neuropsychological assessment were found to be sensitive to the background of the participant, and trends in the data suggest that two factors are operating independently. It is proposed that one factor is language or proficiency in English that impacts on verbal subtests and the other is a sociocultural factor that impacts on performance or nonverbal subtests. These findings question current practices when assessing people from non-English-speaking backgrounds. |
Keywords | psychiatry; clinical psychology; language background; ESL |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 520203. Cognitive neuroscience |
470306. English as a second language | |
520399. Clinical and health psychology not elsewhere classified | |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom |
Griffith University | |
Macquarie University | |
Department of Psychology |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/9zw53/influence-of-language-background-on-tests-of-cognitive-abilities-australian-data
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