Description
Cross-cultural research on neuropsychological tools and normative data remains largely absent. This study has developed a neuropsychological test battery in Arabic and English to assess accelerated ageing in Palestinians, world’s largest refugee population, who endure long-term suffering and trauma due to the on-going occupation of their land. The battery, alongside self-report acculturation and trauma scales, includes a cognitive screening tool, some objective memory tests (The Verbal Memory Arabic Test, The Visual Working Memory Binding Test, and the Rey Complex Figure Test) and a subjective memory questionnaire. It also includes tests of executive function (Colour Trails Test 1 and 2, and The Five Digit Test) and verbal fluency.The study aims to evaluate whether these measures are suitable to be used with Palestinians and to explore whether Palestinians experience cognitive decline.
The battery was administered to 118 Palestinians (60% male) living in the UK, with a mean age of 45 years (SD=11), 68% with post-graduate degrees.
As expected, the findings show that cognitive performance declines with age and improves with higher education and acculturation levels. However, Palestinians’ performance was mostly similar to the populations that these tests were originally developed for and administered to. This indicates that these tests are suitable for use with Palestinians. "
| Period | 24 Sept 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | BPS Scottish Branch Postgraduate Annual Conference |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Perth, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | Local |
Keywords
- cross-cultural neuropsychology
- Palestinian