Multidimensional effects of acculturation at the construct or index level of seven broad neuropsychological skills

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.