Normative Data for Adult Mandarin-Speaking Populations: A Systematic Review of Performance-Based Neuropsychological Instruments

Abstract

Objectives: Normative data are essential for neuropsychological evaluations, but they are scarce for Mandarin-speaking populations, despite Mandarin being the language with the most native speakers. Several normative data studies have been reported in recent years for Mandarin speakers, who reside in different countries/regions (e.g., mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, etc.). This review aims to serve as a reference guide to appropriate norms when working with a Mandarin-speaking patient and to guide future endeavors in test validation and development in areas where studies to date fall short. Method: We conducted a systematic review utilizing the PsycInfo, PubMed, and China Knowledge Resource Integrated databases as well as additional literature search through citations. We performed evaluations of the existing norms based on their test selection, cognitive domains covered, sample size, language, regions of participant recruitment, stratification by age/gender/education levels, and reporting of other psychometric properties. We focused on articles that included performance-based tests for adults but excluded those with purely clinical norms or from commercial publishers. Results: We reviewed 1155 articles found through literature search and identified 43 articles reporting normative data for this population that met our inclusion criteria. Sixty-five distinctive tests and 127 versions were covered. The results are presented within two detailed tables organized by articles and tests, respectively. Conclusions: We discussed the strengths and limitations of these normative reports. Practitioners are recommended to utilize normative data that most closely approximate a test-taker’s cultural and demographic backgrounds. Limitations of the current review are also discussed.

Robust reference group normative data for neuropsychological tests accounting for primary language use in Asian American older adults

“…Prior studies have development norms for Mandarin-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults (Qi et al, 2022; Stricks et al, 1998), however no prior study has development robust normative data accounting for primary language use in Asian American older adults. This study adds to the growing need for normative studies in secondary English speakers.…”

Combining Neuropsychological Assessment with Neuroimaging to Distinguish Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease from Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration in Non-Western Tonal Native Language-Speaking Individuals Living in Taiwan: A Case Series

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