Neuropsychological test performance: A study of non-Hispanic white elderly

This study examined within-group differences in neuropsychological test per formance between US versus foreign-born English-speaking White elders. Part icipants included 193 randomly selected English-speaking elderly community residents who self-identified as non-Hispanic White. Participants were clas sified as US (n=106) or foreign-born (n=87). All participants were independ ently diagnosed by a physician as nondemented. After controlling for years of education, participants born in the United States obtained significantly higher scores on measures of verbal abstract reasoning, naming, and fluenc y than foreign-born elders. These results suggest that although non-Hispani cs White are often treated as a homogeneous group, performance differences exist even within this group. Effects of acculturation level and language u se on cognitive styles may help explain these findings.