DOES CULTURE AFFECT BRAIN FUNCTION?: Answers From …
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Transcript DOES CULTURE AFFECT BRAIN FUNCTION?: Answers From …
Does Culture Affect Brain
Function?
Antonio E. Puente
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Hahnemann University
December 14, 2000
Purpose of Presentation
Summary of 25 Years of Research and
Practice
Where Do Biopsychosocial Variables Fit
in Brain Dysfunction?
Searching for a Neuropsychological “g”
Defining Concepts
Culture (Shared Extra-genetic
Knowledge)
Brain and Neuropsychology
(Processor of Information; Information
about the Processor)
Intelligence and Cognition
(Understanding/Tracking/Using
Discrete Information)
Examples from Three
Neuropsychological Studies
Background
– Grenada, W.I.- Hypertension & Stress
– Argentina- Fulbright & the Malvinas
– Puerto Rico- APA Visiting Psychologist
Program & the Translation of Test
Examples from Studies:
Continued
Intention
– Why do Ethnic-Minorities do Poorly on Most
Cognitive & Neuropsychological Measures?
– Three Generations = Anglo Saxon
– Cattell and the Concept of “g”
– Is There Common Information Processing
Across Cultures?
Examples From Studies:
Three Attempts
Wechsler Intelligence Scales
Luria-Nebraska Battery
Amazon Indians
Wechsler Scales: I
Background
– Item Bias on the Wechsler Scales
– WISC
Puerto Rican Version
WAIS vs WISC
Wechsler Scales: II
Principal Collaborators In Psych Corp:
– William Hrabrick,, Aurelio Prifitera, Michael
O’Callahan, David Tulsky
Principal Co-Collaborators:
– Alfredo Ardila, Josette Harris, Andres
Barona, Laura Herrans (& Monica Rosselli)
– Consulting Workgroup (7)
Other Collaborators:
– 50-70 School and Clinical
Neuropsychologists Throughout the US
Wechsler Scales: III
Time-Frame
Items
Production
Sampling
Standardization
Wechsler Scales: IV
Time-Frame:
– Initial Work= late 1980s-1993
– Formal Work= 1994-2001
Wechsler Scales: V
Items:
– Borrowed Items
– Explicit and Implicit Bias
– Across Hispanic Subgroup Agreement
– Scoring Criteria
Wechsler Scales: VI
Production:
– Using Prior WISC & Foreign Versions
– Drawings
– Printing
– Pricing & Packaging
– Production
Wechsler Scales: VII
Sampling:
– Age
– Sex
– Educational Level (child and parent)
– Country of Origin
– Acculturation Level
– Language Preference of Child
– Socio-economic Status
Wechsler Scales: VIII
Standardization:
– Examiners
36
Geographical & Cultural Variability
Taped Tryout
– Methods
Tryout= 600
Standardization= 1,000
Test-Retest= 300
Wechsler Scales: IX
Current Status:
– “On Hold”
– No Internal or External Project Director nor
Funding
Luria-Nebraska
Neuropsychological Battery: I
Background
– National Academy of Neuropsychology
1979 Meeting in Orlando
– Luria-North Dakota Neuropsychological
Battery
– Initial Collaboration with Golden & “Item
Interpretation of the Luria-Nebraska
Neuropsychological Battery”
– Chilean Journal of Psychology (1982)
LNNB: II
Failed Attempts:
– Argentina
– Puerto Rico
Spanish Collaborators:
– Madrid- Juan Tobal, Antonio Cano, Juan
Manuel Cepedez, Itziar Iruarrizaga
– Granada- Juan Gody, Juana Garcia. Miguel
Perez
– Other- Salamanca; TEA, Western Psych.
LNNB: III
Literature Review:
– 500 Total Articles on the LNNB
– 34 on the LNNB and Ethnic/Foreign
Samples
– 4= Children; 30= Adult
– Empirical= 23 (BD, Schizophrenia)
– Translations= 9
LNNB: IV
Problems:
– Items
Hispanic Subculture
Literal Translation
– Copyright
Luria
Christensen
TEA
Western Psychological Services
LNNB: V
Translation:
– Original Translation by Bilingual
Neuropsychologist
– Back Translation by Two Bilingual
Neuropsychologist
– New Translation Developed
– Discrepancies With English Translation
Reconciled
LNNB: VI
Major Item Changes:
– Receptive Speech
– Expressive Speech
– Writing & Reading
– Arithmetic
– Intellectual Processes
LNNB: VII
Sampling:
– Total= 232 (men= 126; women= 106)
– Mean Age= 39.88 (15-88)
– Mean Education= 9.93(0-21)
LNNB: VIII
Correlations with LNNB I:
– Range= .5356 to .7232
– Education= -.48 to -.72
– Scales= .52 to .845
LNNB: IX
Next Steps:
– Publishing Patient Group Info
– TEA/Western Psychological Corporation
Copyright & Related Difficulties
Amazon Indians: I
Background:
– Culture-free Sample
– Caribbean, Latin America, Spain, Russia
Collaborators:
– Vivian Andrade (Brazil)
– Miguel Perez (Spain)
Amazon: II
First Study
Task
– CVLT Type Task (15 words)
– Words in Guaranis & Portuguese
Sampling
– Total= 20
– Guaranis (educated vs “uneducated”)
Amazon: III
(First Study Continued)
Results:
– Verbal Memory
similar number of words in first trial
different learning curves
more words total for indigenous Indians
Amazon Indians: IV
Second Study
Sample
– N= 12 per group
– Educated vs “non-educated” Guaranis
Tasks
– CVLT type task (15 matched words)
– 12 Figures of indigenous animals
– WMS-R Logical Memory
– WAIS-R Digit Span
– WAIS-R Block Design
Amazon Indians: V
Second Study (continued)
Results
– No between-group differences
– “Un-educated” Indians did significantly
better in motor and visual tasks than in
verbal tasks in either language
Explanation of Current State
of the Scientific Literature
New, Novel, & Extremely Difficult
History and Culture Do Matter
Personal Manipulation of History and
Culture Matter Even More
Cultural Knowledge Might be the
Manner in Which Natural Selection
Expresses Itself in Homo Sapiens
Clinical Neuropsychology Might Help
Unravel This Expression
Answers with Questions:
Where Do We Go From Here?
Is Reductionism Enough?
Is the Tabula Rasa Really Blank?
Does Individual Cognition Affect Gene
Pool Constitution?
If so, is Culture the Mechanism?
Is Intelligence and Neuropsychological
Constructs (e.g. Memory, Problem
Solving, etc.) Equal to Understanding of
Culture?
If so, Does Mind Emerge from Brain
and, in turn, Control Brain?
Further Information
Address:
– Department of Psychology, UNC-W,
Wilmington, NC 28403-3297
E-mail:
– [email protected]
Web Site:
– clinicalneuropsychology.com
– uncwil.edu/people/puente