Alberto Luis Fernandez

• PhD
• Loyola Marymount University

Objective: The study aimed to carry out a cross-cultural analysis by comparing Five-Point test scores for two different countries. The Five-Point test measures design fluency, an executive function, and is an inexpensive test that makes it more accessible to assessment settings, including under-resourced settings. Methods: Adults in Argentina (n...

Objective Individuals tend to overestimate their abilities in areas where they are less competent. This cognitive bias is known as the Dunning-Krueger effect. Research shows that Dunning-Krueger effect occurs in persons with traumatic brain injury and healthy comparison participants. It was suggested by Walker and colleagues (2017) that the deficit...

Objective The MUNS is a screening scale developed in Cordoba, Argentina (2018). It is devised with multicultural stimuli that are easily translated into different languages. The scale consists of seven subtests evaluating five cognitive domains: attention, memory, executive functioning, constructional praxis, and language. Previous cross-cultural s...

Objective The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming test developed in Argentina. A common confrontation naming task used in the United States is the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Research shows that age affects BNT performance in the 60-item long form. In fact, studies show that scores on confrontation naming tasks increase in chi...

Objective The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item lexical retrieval task that was developed to be administered in multiple languages. Research shows that self-identifying Mexicans residing in Mexico outperform self-identifying Mexicans that reside in the United States on the CNT. Studies indicate that the process of acculturation can influence c...

Objective The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task. The administration of the CNT can be administered in multiple languages. Hardy and Wright (2018) conditionally validated a measure of perceived mental workload called the National Aeronautic Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). They found that workload ratin...

Objective A commonly used confrontation naming task used in the United States is The Boston Naming Test (BNT). Performance differences has been found in Caucasian and ethnic minorities on the BNT. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task developed in Argentina. Past research has shown acculturation levels can influence c...

Objective The Dunning-Krueger effect is a cognitive bias where individuals tend to overestimate their abilities in areas where they are less competent. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task. Hardy and Wright (2018) conditionally validated a measure of perceived mental workload called the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX...

Objective A 30-item confrontation naming test was developed in Argentina for Spanish speakers, The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT). The Boston Naming Test is an established confrontation naming task in the United States. Researchers have used the Boston Naming Test to identify individuals with different clinical pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). T...

Objective Despite the array of neuropsychological tests available, these assessments are largely made and developed for use in WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) societies (Fernandez, 2019; Ponsford, 2017). The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS) was developed with underrepresented groups in mind as a universally...

Objective: Much of the information about the ethical practice of clinical neuropsychology has focused on North America. Additionally, of the scholarly publications on the intersection of ethical issues and cultural diversity practices in neuropsychology, most have focused on North America. The extent to which practitioners in other parts of the wo...

Oral reading fluency (ORF) is a good index of the reading skill level, measured as the number of words read correctly per minute (WRPM). However, ORF tests are not available in many languages. This study tested if the mean of WRPM could be estimated in languages for which ORF tests have not been developed by using free text-to-speech software. Mean...

In modern neuropsychology, the acknowledgment of cultural variables and their significant influence on cognitive development and performance spawned the development of cross-cultural neuropsychological tests. This article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS), a screening scale th...

Globally, the demand for culturally appropriate and equitable neuropsychological services is greater than ever before. However, providing culturally competent neuropsychological services is challenging. This chapter provides an understanding of the complex set of interlinked and interdependent challenges that contributes to inequalities in neuropsy...

Education exerts a powerful influence on the performance on neuropsychological tests. Recently, the number of years that a person attends school has been the preferred method to operationalize educational level (EL). However, reading fluency (RF) has emerged as an alternative method that can define the quality of education. Objective: To compare...

Objective The United States carries a diverse Latinx population. This population largely consists of Mexicans however, there has been a population decrease since 2010. Though, the Guatemalan population has increased since 2010 and has become the third most growing population in the United States. Previous research shows that level of acculturation...

Objective Confrontation naming tests are used to examine an individual’s lexical retrieval. We examined the relationship of perceived workload and acculturation in three ethnic groups’ Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) performance. Methods The sample consisted of 32 Latinx, 11 Caucasians, and 10 Asian; all neurologically and psychologically healthy reside...

This paper addresses the absence of an international diagnostic taxonomy for cogni-tive disorders in patients with epilepsy. Initiated through the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Neuropsychological Society, neuropsychological representatives from both organizations met to addr...

The umbrella-term 'executive functions' (EF) includes various domain-general, goal-directed cognitive abilities responsible for behavioral self-regulation. The influential unity and diversity model of EF posits the existence of three correlated yet separable executive domains: inhibition, shifting and updating. These domains may be influenced by fa...

This paper addresses the absence of an international diagnostic taxonomy for cognitive disorders in patients with epilepsy. Initiated through the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Neuropsychological Society, neuropsychological representatives from both organizations met to addre...

The umbrella-term ‘executive functions’ (EF) includes various domain-general, goal-directed cognitive abilities responsible for behavioral self-regulation. The influential unity and diversity model of EF posits the existence of three correlated yet separable executive domains: inhibition, shifting and updating. These domains may be influenced by fa...

Resumen La identificación temprana de niños en riesgo de padecer dislexia es un elemento clave para una intervención temprana que permita obtener mejores resultados y evitar consecuencias secundarias. El Test de Velocidad de Denominación (TVD) fue diseñado con ese objetivo. Hasta la fecha solo se habían publicado datos normativos para niños de escu...

Objective: The appropriateness of the current neuropsychological tests for the assessment of different populations has been questioned. In this issue several articles have proposed the modernization of neuropsychological testing by incorporating modern technological devices such as computers, mobile phones, or tablets. This is a commentary on the...

The chapter contains a review and update of the cross-cultural tests, i.e. tests that from the outset were designed to minimize the impact of cultural variables.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe the development of the Multi-cultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS). Methods: This is a short scale devised with universal stimuli which are easy to translate into different languages. It consists of 7 subtests evaluating five cognitive domains: attention, memory, executive functioning, constru...

Cultural variables exert a powerful effect on test performance. This effect is now largely recognized in the field of neuropsychology, although rather underestimated. This paper has three parts. First, different sources of cross-cultural bias in neuropsychological testing are identified, using the taxonomy proposed by van de Vijver and Tanzer (Eur...

Objective: To describe the history, current situation, and future challenges of Argentinian neuropsychology. Method: A brief historical description highlighting the most representative authors and publications is made. In addition, a survey was administered to a sample of 135 neuropsychologists practicing neuropsychology in Argentina. The survey...

Some studies have tried to assess the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS) capability to detect incipient dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), but the results are not clear. The aim of this research was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the MDRS, and to localize the optimal cutoff score for MCI. Methodology. A neuropsychological...

In 1996, a Spanish edition of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) was published. Changes to the original version were introduced but without an empirical foundation supporting these modifications. This version was later adapted by reordering the items according to their difficulty frequency in a Spanish-speaking population, and norms were developed from t...

Resumen Los procesos atencionales son una enorme área de estudio para el investigador en neuropsicología y un elemento de frecuente evaluación para el neuropsicólogo clínico. No obstante, la multiplicidad de términos y teorías relacionados a la atención hacen muchas veces muy difícil la convergencia de los diferentes hallazgos entre los investigado...

To date, a psychometrically sound standardized Spanish-language test of confrontation naming has not been developed for clinical use. Because of the shortcomings of adapting tests developed in other cultures, it was decided to develop a confrontation naming test suitable for Spanish-speakers. For the validity study the performance on the test of 26...

Durante el Congreso Argentino de Psicología del 2008, en la ciudad de Córdoba, se organizó un Simposio en el cual cuatro expertos (dos de Córdoba, dos de Buenos Aires) debatieron sobre la conveniencia de construir tests nuevos o adaptar los ya existentes. Nos pareció importante rescatar estas ponencias y ofrecérselas al lector de esta revista puest...

The purpose of this study was to assess the internal consistency and stability of the Five-Point Test (FPT), developed by Regard, Strauss, and Knapp (1982). A test of non-verbal fluency, the FPT is an executive measure that may be particularly useful in the evaluation of individuals with presumed frontal lobe damage. In the internal consistency stu...

The Trail Making Test may not be equivalent across cultures, i.e., differences in the scores across different cultures may not reveal real differences in the ability of the subjects on the construct being measured. In order to assess this hypothesis, normative samples from ten different countries were compared. Age decade subgroups across samples w...

The effects of long-term treatment in a demented patient were evaluated in this study. One individual diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) was treated with neuropsychological rehabilitation techniques as well as drugs for a period of 2 years and 10 months. An A-B-A-B design was performed for the cognitive treatment. Neuropsychological treatment...

Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) is the most commonly used test in the evaluation of normal and pathological functioning, whether it be clinically or experimentally. Several studies have suggested that the age, schooling and culture of the subject all affect performance in this test. To date no research has been conducted that proves whether there are...

Introduction. Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) is the most commonly used test in the evaluation of normal and pathological functioning, whether it be clinically or experimentally. Several studies have suggested that the age, schooling and culture of the subject all affect performance in this test. To date no research has been conducted that proves whe...

In this study normative data are shown for adult Argentinean population on the Verbal Fluency - Animals Test. Significant correlations were found with sex and education. Influence of age and cognitive components involved in the performance of the test were analyzed. Besides, correlations of this test with other tasks associated to the pre-frontal c...

Criterion validity of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS) was evaluated with a concurrent study to obtain a cut-off score for an Argentinean population. A battery of several neuropsychological tests, including MDRS and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), was administered to 60 patients in a memory disorder clinic. The MDRS cut-off score was u...

The Trail Making Test is a neuropsychological test used to assess diverse cognitive functions such as attention, psychomotor speed and cognitive flexibility. In this study normative and conceptual validity data are reported. The test was administered to 251 adult Argentinean people from 15 to 70 years old, both sex and different educational levels....

La alteración de la memoria parece ser el denominador común en todas las demencias. Esto ha sido aceptado por la comunidad científica a punto tal que para realizar el diagnóstico de demencia se requiere que entre el deterioro de las funciones cognitivas se encuentre, necesariamente, una alteración significativa de la memoria 12 \ Es por ello que és...

Resumen El Test del Trazo(TT)[Trail Making Test] es un test neuropsicológico utilizado para valorar diversas funciones cognitivas, entre ellas atención, velocidad psicomotora, y flexibilidad cognitiva. En el pre-sente estudio se realizó una baremación y se evaluó la validez conceptual de dicha prueba. Se administró la prue-ba a 251 adultos argentin...