Normative data for Farsi-speaking Iranians in the United States on measures of executive functioning

Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2019 May-Jun;26(3):229-235. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2017.1392963. Epub 2018 Jan 9.

Abstract

As the Farsi-speaking Iranian population continues to grow in the United States, examination of their cognitive performance is an imperative first step to providing this group with culturally competent services. Thirty-six healthy primarily Farsi-speaking Iranian adults completed Farsi-translated and adapted versions of three frequently used measures of executive/subcortical functioning: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Trail Making Test (TMT), and Color Trails Test (CTT). Participants' performance on each measure was compared to published normative data resulting in 0-85% of cognitively and medically healthy individuals being classified as impaired depending on the executive/subcortical test score examined, with the highest impairment rates for specific WCST outcome scores. These findings raise questions for the use of published norms with Farsi-speaking Iranians residing in the US. The present study provided normative data from this group of Farsi-speaking Iranians on the Farsi-translated and adapted versions of the WCST, TMT, and CTT.

Keywords: Cross-cultural neuropsychology; Farsi-speaking Iranian; executive functioning; normative data.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Culturally Competent Care
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Iran / ethnology
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests / standards*
  • Neuropsychological Tests / statistics & numerical data
  • Reference Values
  • Trail Making Test / standards
  • Trail Making Test / statistics & numerical data
  • United States / ethnology