Latent semantic analysis: an improved method to measure cognitive performance in subjects of non-English-speaking-background

Abstract

The present study examined the validity of cognitive assessment in older adults when administered in a second language (English). A battery of tests that included the MMSE, CAMCOG and the Logical Memory Test of the Wechsler Memory Scale III, was administered to 121 older community volunteers of either an English Speaking Background (ESB) or a Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) living in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. The logical memory test was scored using Latent Semantic Analysis. It was hypothesized that this scoring method would be less affected by cultural and linguistic differences than standard scoring methods. The results suggest that LSA is a more robust measure of cognitive function than traditional scoring methods and may therefore improve the validity of cognitive assessment results on subjects of NESB.