Cultural Relativity in Neuropsychology

Abstract

Aristotle was right: Give me a fixed point, and I will move the earth. The “earth” in this case is the urban, semiliterate, nontestwise patient, in particular from South Africa, with symptoms of mild or moderate head trauma and in need of neuropsychological assessment. The “fixed point” does not exist in the form of test given being the same as test received conceptually with valid norms to go with it. How then can we move the earth? With justice done to psychometric requirements and most importantly, to the mental abilities of the patient, we can not. The neuropsychological tests normed on Western subjects within the Western cultural sphere, has put this patient to a disadvantage.