The multicultural neuropsychological scale (MUNS): validity, reliability, normative data and cross-cultural evidence

Abstract

In modern neuropsychology, the acknowledgment of cultural variables and theirsignificant influence on cognitive development and performance spawned the developmentof cross-cultural neuropsychological tests. This article describes the developmentand psychometric properties of the Multicultural NeuropsychologicalScale (MUNS), a screening scale that includes stimuli common to most cultures inthe world. It is appropriate for use with adults and the elderly and with lower andhigher education participants. In the validity study, we compared the performancesof control and cognitively impaired participants. Test reliability was assessed usingthe standardized regression-based method (n = 71). Norms were developed usinga regression-based method. One hundred and eighty-four Spanish-speaking participantsof both sexes were recruited for the normative sample. Participants werebetween 15 and 80 years old. The education range was 4?20 years of schooling.Evidence for its cross-cultural utility was obtained by comparing the performanceof two (Argentinian and American) age and education matched samples. Mean differencesbetween the control and clinical groups were significant, yielding a largeeffect size (η2 = 0.20). Raw MUNS retest total scores were predicted by MUNS pretesttotal score and age. Age, reading fluency, and years of schooling significantlyinfluenced test scores. The validity study confirmed that the test discriminates betweenindividuals with and without cognitive impairments, including participantswith mild cognitive impairments. Reliability is satisfactory. The performance ofboth samples showed no significant differences between them in all subtests exceptfor one.