Main description:

This book is the culmination of a research program conducted in Colombia during the past several years. The fundamental aim of the program was to develop neuropsychological tests for Spanish speakers, especially elderly individuals and those with limited edu cational attainment. The lack of norms for these populations repre sents a significant practical problem not only in developing countries but also in more developed countries. For example, norms are usually obtained with middle-class Anglo-Saxon English-speaking popula tions, often university students, and such norms do not usually include individuals older than 65 years. Furthermore, very few neuro psychological tests have been developed for Spanish speakers; fre quently, tests are translated into Spanish (often poor translations at that), but the norms used are still those obtained from English speaking populations. This volume summarizes the normative results of this research program. We anticipate that these tests and norms will be particularly useful in the neuropsychological evaluation of Spanish speakers, especially those with limited educational attainment, and the elderly. The United States represents the fifth largest Spanish-speaking coun try in the world (after Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia), with over 20 million speakers. It is anticipated that by the year 2025 there will be as many Hispanics in the United States as members of all other ethnic minority groups combined. Further, about 10% of the U. S. population are considered functionally illiterate, with Hispanics rep resenting an unusually large segment.

Contents:

Introduction: Neuropsychological Assessment in Different Cultural Contexts.- 1. Orientation and Attention.- 2. Language.- 3. Memory.- 4. Spatial and Praxic Abilities.- Appendix A: Pruebas Neuropsicologicas para Hispanoparlantes.- A1. Version Espanola del Examen Breve del Estado Mental.- A2. Prueba de Cancelacion.- A3. Prueba de Denominacion para Hispanoparlantes.- A4. Prueba de Lectura para Hispanoparlantes.- A5. Prueba de Escritura para Hispanoparlantes.- A6. Prueba de Repeticion para Hispanoparlantes.- A7. Prueba de Discriminacion Fonologica para Hispanoparlantes.- A8. Prueba de Gramatica para Hispanoparlantes.- A9. Version Espanola de la Prueba de las Fichas (Token Test).- A10. Prueba de Fluidez Verbal.- A11. Prueba de Calculo.- A12. Curva de Aprendizaje Verbal.- A13. Prueba de Memoria Facial (Fotografias y Hoja de Respuestas).- A14. Figura Compleja de Rey-Osterrieth.- A15. Prueba de Dibujo de un Cubo.- B1. "A" Cancellation Test.- B2. Digit Symbol Test.- B3. Spanish Naming Test.- B4. Verbal Fluency Test.- B5. Verbal Serial Learning Curve.- B6. Digit Span Test.- B7. Test of Memory for Unfamiliar Faces.- B8. Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test.- B9. Finger-Tapping Test.- References.- Author Index.