The Effect of Culture on Two Information-Processing Speed Tests

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Background:

• The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is considered for replacing the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3 (PASAT-3) in the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite due to its efficiency.
• The cultural impact on these cognitive tests remains largely unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of Argentinian and North American populations on the SDMT and PASAT-3.
• To determine which of these widely used cognitive tests is more susceptible to cultural variations.

Main Methods:

• Administered the SDMT and PASAT-3 to 137 healthy Argentinian and 137 healthy North American volunteers.
• Matched participants based on gender, age (±2 years), and education (±1 year).

Main Results:

• Significant performance differences were observed between Argentinian and North American participants on the SDMT.
• No significant performance differences were found between the groups on the PASAT-3.
• Low correlations were noted between both tests and years of education.

Conclusions:

• The SDMT is demonstrably more affected by cultural factors than the PASAT-3.
• These findings have implications for the use of the SDMT in cross-cultural neuropsychological assessments.