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Neurocognitive Functions in 3- to 15-Year-Old Children: An International Comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2017

Johanna Rosenqvist ,
Pekka Lahti-Nuuttila ,
Cosimo Urgesi ,
James Holdnack ,
Sally L. Kemp  and
Marja Laasonen
Johanna Rosenqvist*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland Department of Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
Pekka Lahti-Nuuttila
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland Department of Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
Cosimo Urgesi
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine and Scientific Institute (IRCCS) Eugenio Medea, Italy
James Holdnack
Affiliation:
Pearson, San Antonio, Texas
Sally L. Kemp
Affiliation:
School of Health Professions, University of Missouri - Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
Marja Laasonen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland Department of Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Finland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Johanna Rosenqvist, PO 9, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objectives: Performance on neurocognitive tasks develops with age, but it is still unknown whether this performance differs between children from different cultures. We compared cross-sectionally the development of neurocognitive functions in 3- to 15-year-old children from three countries: Finland, Italy, and the United States (N=2745). Methods: Language, face memory, emotion recognition, theory of mind, and visuospatial processing subtests from the NEPSY-II standardizations in Finland, Italy, and the United States were used to evaluate if children and adolescents from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds differ in performance on these measures. Results: We found significant differences in performance on the tasks between the countries. Generally, the differences were more pronounced in the younger age groups. Some subtests showed greater country effects than others, performance on these subtests being higher, in general, in one country over the others, or showed different patterns of age associated changes in test performance. Conclusions: Significant differences in neurocognitive performance between children from Finland, Italy, and the United States were found. These findings may be due to cultural or educational differences that impact test performance, or due to factors associated with the adaptation of measures from one culture to another. The finding of performance differences across countries on similar tasks indicate that cross-cultural and background variables impact performance on neuropsychological measures. Therefore, clinicians need to consider a child’s cultural background when evaluating performance on neuropsychological assessments. The results also indicate that future cross-cultural studies are needed to further examine the underlying cultural factors that influence neurocognitive performance. (JINS, 2017, 23, 367–380)

Keywords

Cross-cultural comparisonCognitionNeurocognitiveNeuropsychological testsDevelopment,ChildCountries
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , April 2017 , pp. 367 - 380
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2017 

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