Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neuropsychological Assessment with African American Clients

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Guide to Psychological Assessment with African Americans

Abstract

The disparity in performance for African Americans as compared to other racial or ethnic groups on neuropsychological assessment measures is multifaceted. These disparities are discussed in the context of domain and measure specific normative performance for African Americans, and additional considerations related to incidence rates of related disease (e.g., differences in prevalence rates for cardiovascular diseases for African Americans) are presented within the context of a neuropsychological evaluation. Recommendations for clinical practice and suggestions for future study are presented within this chapter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albert, S. M., & Teresi, J. A. (1999). Reading ability, education, and cognitive status assessment among older adults in Harlem, New York City. American Journal of Public Health, 89, 95–97.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ardila, A., & Moreno, S. (2001). Neuropsychological test performance in Aruaco Indians: An exploratory study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological society, 7, 510–515.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baird, A. D., Ford, M., & Podell, K. (2007). Ethnic differences in functional and neuropsychological test performance in older adults. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22(3), 309–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, F. M., Johnson, J. T., Velli, S. A., & Wiley, C. (1996). Congruence between education and reading levels of older persons. Psychiatric Services, 47, 194–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benedict, R. (1997). Brief visuospatial memory test-revised. Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources

    Google Scholar 

  • Benton, A. L., Hamsher, K. D., Varney, N. R., & Spreen, O. (1983). Judgment of line orientation. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benuto, L. T., & Leany, B. (2013). Assessing effort & malingering with the hispanic client. In L. T. Benuto (Ed.), Guide to psychological assessment with hispanics. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boone, K. B., Victor, T. L., Wen, J., Razani, J., & Ponton, M. (2007). The association between neuropsychological scores and ethnicity, language, and acculturation variables in a large patient population. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22, 355–365.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlozzi, N. E., Grech, J., & Tulsky, D. S. (2013). Memory functioning in individuals with traumatic brain injury: An examination of the Wechsler Memory Scale-fourth edition (WMS-IV), Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 35(9), 906–914, doi:10.1080/13803395.2013.833178.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cherner, M., Suarez, P., Lazzaretto, D., Fortuny, L., Mindt, M. R., Dawes, S., & Heaton, R. (2007). Demographically corrected norms for the brief visuospatial memory test-revised and hopkins verbal learning test-revised in monolingual Spanish speakers from the US–Mexico border region. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22(3), 343–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin, A. L., Negash, S., Xie, S., Arnold, S. E., & Hamilton, R. (2012). Quality, and not just quantity, of education accounts for differences in psychometric performance between African Americans and white non-hispanics with Alzheimerʼs disease. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18(2), 277–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diehr, M. C., Heaton, R. K., Miller, W., & Grant, I. (1998). The paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT): Norms for age, education, and ethnicity. Assessment, 5(4), 375–387.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duff, K. (2010). Predicting premorbid memory functioning in older adults. Applied Neuropsychology, 17(4), 278–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duke, L. A., Allen, D. N., Ross, S. A., Strauss, G. P., & Schwartz, J. (2010). Neurocognitive function in schizophrenia with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Clinical & Experimental Neuropsychology, 32(7), 737–751. doi:10.1080/13803390903512660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fillenbaum, G. G., Heyman, A., Huber, M. S., Ganguli, M., & Unverzagt, F. W. (2001). Performance of elderly African American and white community residents on the CERAD neuropsychological battery. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7(4), 502–509.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fillenbaum, G. G., Huber, M., & Taussig, I. M. (1997). Performance of elderly White and African American community residents on the abbreviated CERAD Boston naming test. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 19(2), 204–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. A., Schinka, J. A., Mortimer, J. A., & Graves, A. B. (2002). Hopkins verbal learning test–revised: Norms for elderly African Americans. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 16(3), 356–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferman, T. J., Lucas, J. A., Ivnik, R. J., Smith, G. E., Willis, F. B., Petersen, R. C., & Graff-Radford, N. R. (2005). Mayoʼs older African American normative studies: Auditory verbal learning test norms for African American elders. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 19(2), 214–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, C., & Burke, T. (2007). Age, gender and IQ effects on the rey-osterrieth complex figure test. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46(1), 35–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, S., Jin, Y., Hall, K. S., Liang, C., Unverzagt, F. W., Ji, R., & Hendrie, H. C. (2007). Selenium level and cognitive function in rural elderly Chinese. American Journal of Epidemiology, 165(8), 955–965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gladsjo, J. A., Schuman, C. C., Evans, J. D., Peavy, G. M., Miller, S. W., & Heaton, R. K. (1999). Norms for letter and category fluency: Demographic corrections for age, education, and ethnicity. Assessment, 6(2), 147–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glosser, G., Cole, L., Khatri, U., DellaPietra, L., & Kaplan, E. (2002). Assessing nonverbal memory with the biber figure learning test—extended in temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 17(1), 25–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glosser, G., Cole, L. C., French, J. A., Saykin, A. J., & Sperling, M. R. (1997). Predictors of intellectual performance in adults with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 3(3), 252–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerton, B. K., Brown, T. T., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Kohn, P., Holt, J. L., Olsen, R. K., & Berman, K. F. (2004). Shared and distinct neurophysiological components of the digits forward and backward tasks as revealed by functional neuroimaging. Neuropsychologia, 42(13), 1781–1787.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, H. M., Whitfield, K. E., West, B. T., Williams, D. R., Lichtenberg, P. A., & Jackson, J. S. (2007). Modified-symbol digit modalities test for African Americans, Caribbean Black Americans, and non-Latino Whites: Nationally representative normative data from the National Survey of American Life. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 2, 605–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, R., Grant, I., Miller, S. W., Taylor, M. J., Schweinsburg, B. C., Carey, C. L., et al. (2013). Demographically adjusted normative standards for new indices of performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 20(3), 396–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gronwall, D. M. A., & Wrightson, P. (1981). Memory and information processing capacity after closed head injury. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 44, 889–895.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heaton R. K, Miller S. W, Taylor M. J, & Grant I. (2004). Revised comprehensive norms for an expanded Halstead Reitan battery: Demographically adjusted neuropsychological norms for African American and Caucasian adults. Lutz: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heaton R. K., Ryan, L., & Grant, I. (2009). Demographic influences and use of demographically corrected norms in neuropsychologial assessment. In I. Grant & K. M. Adams (Eds.), Neuropsychological assessment of neuropsychiatric and neuromedical disorders (pp. 127–155). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, A. S., Flicker, L. J., & Lichtenberg, P. A. (2006). Reading ability mediates the relationship between education and executive function tasks. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12, 64–71.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-Selfridge, M. T., Zalewski, C., & Aboudarham, J. F. (1998). The relationship between ethnicity and word fluency. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 13(3), 319–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, B., & Wilhelm, K. L. (1996). The longitudinal stability of the WRAT-R reading subtest: Is it an appropriate estimate of premorbid intelligence? Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2(4), 282–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, A. S., McLean, J. E., & Reynolds, C. R. (1991). Analysis of WAIS-R factor patterns by sex and race. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 548–557.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kennepohl, S., Shore, D., Nabors, N., & Hanks, R. (2004). African American acculturation and neuropsychological test performance following traumatic brain injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 10, 566–577.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knopman, D. S., Selnes, O. A., Niccum, N., & Rubens, A. B. (1984). Recovery of naming in aphasia relationship to fluency, comprehension and CT findings. Neurology, 34(11), 1461–1461.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., Bigler, E. D., & Tranel, D. (2012). Neuropsychological assessment (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, J. A., Ivnik, R. J., Smith, G. E., Ferman, T. J., Willis, F. B., Petersen, R. C., et al. (2005). Mayo’s older African Americans normative studies: Norms for Boston Naming Test, Controlled Oral Word Association, Category Fluency, Animal Naming, Token Test, Wrat-3 Reading, Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, and Judgment of Line Orientation. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 19(2), 243–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manly, J. J., Jacobs, D. M., Sano, M., Bell, K., Merchant, C. A., Small, S. A., et al. (1998a). Cognitive test performance among nondemented elderly African Americans and whites. Neurology, 50(5), 1238–1245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manly, J. J., Jacobs, D. M., Touradji, P., Small, S. A., & Stern, Y. (2002). Reading level attenuates difference in neuropsychological test performance between African American and White elders. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 8, 341–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manly, J. J., Byrd, D. A., Touradji, P., & Stern, Y. (2004). Acculturation, reading level, and neuropsychological test performance among African American elders. Applied Neuropsychology, 11(1), 37–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manly, J. J. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of separate norms for African Americans. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 19(2), 270–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcopulos, B. A., McLain, C. A., & Giuliano, A. J. (1997). Cognitive impairment or inadequate norms: A study of healthy, rural, older adults with limited education. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 11, 111–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattson, S., & Roebuck, T. (2002). Acquisition and retention of verbal and nonverbal information in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 26(6), 875–882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, J. E., & Meyers, K. R. (1995). Rey complex figure test and recognition trial manual. United States: Psychological Assessment Resrouces.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitrushina, M., Boone, K. B., Razani, J., & D’Elia, L. F. (2005). Handbook of normative data for neuropsychological assessment: Second Edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norman, M. A., Evans, J. D., Miller, W. S., & Heaton, R. K. (2000). Demographically corrected norms for the California verbal learning test. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 22(1), 80–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norman, M. A., Moore, D. J., Taylor, M., Franklin Jr., D., Cysique, L., Ake, C., & HNRC Group. (2011). Demographically corrected norms for African Americans and caucasians on the hopkins verbal learning test–revised, brief visuospatial memory test–revised, stroop color and word test, and wisconsin card sorting test 64-card version. Journal of Clinical and Experimental neuropsychology, 33(7), 793–804.

    Google Scholar 

  • OʼBryant, S. E., Hilsabeck, R. C., McCaffrey, R. J., & Drew Gouvier, W. M. (2003). The recognition memory test examination of ethnic differences and norm validity. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 18(2), 135–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • OʼBryant, S. E., Schrimsher, G. W., & OʼJile, J. R. (2005). Discrepancies between self-reported years of education and estimated reading level: Potential implications for neuropsychologists. Applied Neuropsychology, 12(1), 5–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogg, R. J., Zou, P., Allen, D. N., Hutchins, S. B., Dutkiewicz, R. M., & Mulhern, R. K. (2008). Neural correlates of a clinical continuous performance test. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 26(4), 504–512.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pedraza, O., Graff-Radford, N. R., Smith, G. E., Ivnik, R. J., Willis, F. B., Petersen, R. C., & Lucas, J. A. (2009). Differential item functioning of the Boston naming test in cognitively normal African American and caucasian older adults. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 15(5), 758–768.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pugh, K. G., Kiely, D. K., Milberg, W. P., & Lipsitz, L. A. (2003). Selective impairment of frontal-executive cognitive function in African Americans with cardiovascular risk factors. Journal of American Geriatric Society, 51(10), 1439–1444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roman, D. D., Edwall, G. E., Buchanan, R. J., & Patton, J. H. (1991). Extended norms for the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 5, 33–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, T. P., & Lichtenberg, P. A. (1998). Expanded normative data for the Boston naming test for use with urban, elderly medical patients. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 12(4), 475–481.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, J. J., Arb, J. D., Paul, C. A., & Kreiner, D. S. (2000a). Reliability of the WAIS-III subtests, indexes, and IQs in individuals with substance abuse disorders. Assessment, 7(20), 151–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, J. J., Sattler, J. M., & Lopez, S. J. (2000b). Age effects on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III subtests. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 15, 311–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. C., & Lichtenberg, P. A. (2011). Influence of reading ability on neuropsychological performance in African American elders. Archives of clinical neuropsychology, 26(7), 624–631.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, B. S., Glass, T. A., Bolla, K. I., Sewart, W. F., Glass, G., Rasmussen, M., et al. (2004). Disparities in cognitive functioning by race/ethnicity in the Baltimore Memory Study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(3), 314–320.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, N. D., Hanks, R. A., & Tompkins, S. C. (2013). Education quality, reading recognition, and racial differences in the neuropsychological outcome from traumatic brain injury. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 28(5), 485–491.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snitz, B. E., Unverzagt, F. W., Chang, C. C. H., Bilt, J. V., Gao, S., Saxton, J., & Ganguli, M. (2009). Effects of age, gender, education and race on two tests of language ability in community-based older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 21(6), 1051–1062.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spikman, J. M., Deelman, B. G., & van Zomeren, A. H. (2000). Executive functioning, attention and frontal lesions in patients with chronic CHI. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 22, 325–338.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Unverzagt, F. W., Hall, K. S., Torke, A. M., Rediger, J. D., Mercado, N., Gureje, O., et al. (1996). Effects of age, education, and gender on CERAD neuropsychological test performance in an African American sample. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 10, 180–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderploeg, R. D., Schinka, J. A., Jones, T., Small, B. J., Graves, A. B., & Mortimer, J. A. (2000). Elderly norms for the hopkins verbal learning test-revised. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 14(3), 318–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, M. T., Wymer, J. H., Carlozzi, N. E., Bachman, D., Walker, A., & Mintzer, J. (2007). Preliminary examination of progression of Alzheimerʼs disease in a rural Southern African American cohort. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 22(3), 405–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warrington, E. K. (1984). Recognition memory Test Ô (RMTÔ). Test Booklet 1. NFER-Nelson Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler, D. (2001). Wechsler test of adult reading. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler, D. (2009). WMS-IV.: Wechsler memory scale-administration and scoring manual. Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, K. E., Fillenbaum, G. G., Pieper, C., Albert, M. S., Berkman, L. F., Blazer, D. G., & Seeman, T. (2000). The effect of race and health-related factors on naming and memory the macarthur studies of successful aging. Journal of Aging and Health, 12(1), 69–89

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lake’s Crossing Center, Maximum Security Facility for Forensic Mental Health Services, 500 Galletti Way, Sparks, 89504, NV, USA

    Brian D. Leany

  2. Northcentral University, Core Faculty in the Graduate School, 10000 E University Drive, 86314, Prescott Valley, AZ, USA

    Brian D. Leany & Lorraine T. Benuto

  3. Administrative Faculty, Department of Psychology MS0296, University of Nevada, 89557, Reno, NV, USA

    Lorraine T. Benuto

  4. Department of Psychology, State University of New York, P.O. Box 6000, 13902, Binghamton, NY, USA

    Lindsay F. Morra

Authors
  1. Brian D. Leany
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lorraine T. Benuto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lindsay F. Morra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian D. Leany .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA

    Lorraine T. Benuto

  2. California Dept of Corrections and Rehab High Desert State Prison, California Correctional Health Care Serv, Susanville, California, USA

    Brian D. Leany

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Leany, B., Benuto, L., Morra, L. (2015). Neuropsychological Assessment with African American Clients. In: Benuto, L., Leany, B. (eds) Guide to Psychological Assessment with African Americans. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1004-5_19

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation