A - 71 Cross-Cultural Comparison of Cognitive Performance between Americans and Cameroonians while Controlling for Age and Education

Abstract Objective The development of cognitive abilities varies based on social and cultural factors. Given the expansion of neuropsychological measures internationally, an accurate understanding of performance across different countries is necessary to understand the appropriateness of different cognitive tests. To expand the existing knowledge base, this study explores the differences in cognitive test performance between Cameroonian and American adults. Methods The Cameroonian sample, 250 adults ages 22–72 (mean age = 42.91 [SD = 13.76], 52% male, mean education = 13.54 [SD = 4.58]) resided in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Participants were tested at a district center. Deidentified data from a community mental health center’s archival database comprised the American sample. A one-factor between MANCOVA examined differences in performance on selected measures between Americans and Cameroonians after controlling for age and education. Results Age and education statistically significantly affected scores on all selected subtests except for WMS-IV Logical Memory I. Additional analyses revealed that performance still differed between conditions while controlling for age (F (6, 749) = 33.87, p < 0.001; Wilk’s ∧ = 0.787, partial ŋ2 = 0.21), and education (F (6, 749) = 18.95, p < 0.001; Wilk’s ∧ = 0.868, partial ŋ2 = 0.13) for WAIS-IV Digit span, WAIS-IV Symbol search, WAIS-IV Coding, Stroop color word, and WMS Logical Memory I & II subtests. Conclusion Age and education are important predictors of performance on cognitive tests. The importance of appropriately norming new assessments and re-norming older assessments is underscored when those variables are controlled for and differences in performance are maintained between the two conditions. Current findings indicate that cultural differences and their effect on cognitive development explain performance beyond age and education level.