Item analysis of three Spanish naming tests: a cross-cultural investigation

Neuropsychological evaluations conducted in the United States and abroad commonly include the use of tests translated from English to Spanish. The use of translated naming tests for evaluating predominately Spanish-speakers has recently been challenged on the grounds that translating test items may compromise a test's construct validity. The Texas Spanish Naming Test (TNT) has been developed in Spanish specifically for use with Spanish-speakers; however, it is unlikely patients from diverse Spanish-speaking geographical regions will perform uniformly on a naming test. The present study evaluated and compared the internal consistency and patterns of item-difficulty and -discrimination for the TNT and two commonly used translated naming tests in three countries (i.e., United States, Colombia, Spain). Two hundred fifty two subjects (136 demented, 116 nondemented) across three countries were administered the TNT, Modified Boston Naming Test-Spanish, and the naming subtest from the CERAD. The TNT demonstrated superior internal consistency to its counterparts, a superior item difficulty pattern than the CERAD naming test, and a superior item discrimination pattern than the MBNT-S across countries. Overall, all three Spanish naming tests differentiated nondemented and moderately demented individuals, but the results suggest the items of the TNT are most appropriate to use with Spanish-speakers. Preliminary normative data for the three tests examined in each country are provided.