PSY2071 Week 2 Lecture - Crosscultural Considerations _2024 slides

Limitations of Western Psychological Assessment Methods in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Groups

• Presented by Mathew Staios, Clinical Neuropsychologist at Monash University.

Pathways to Professional Psychology

• Steps to registration as a psychologist:

  • Step 1: Complete an undergraduate psychology sequence (Bachelor Degree, Grad Dip Psychology; 3 years)

  • Step 2: Fourth year psychology studies (Honours/Postgrad Dip; 1 year)

  • Step 3: 4+2 Internship (2 years of supervised practice) or 5+1 Internship (1 year Grad Dip of Prof Psych + 1 year of supervised practice)

  • Step 4: Provisional registration leading to General registration through various Professional Master’s programs or Doctorates.

  • Overall duration can vary from 4 to 7 years depending on the pathway chosen.

Importance of Understanding Race, Culture, and Ethnicity

• Key concepts include:

  • Examination of race, culture, and ethnicity in the context of psychology.

  • Demographic factors: 1 in 5 people in Victoria were born overseas and/or speak another language at home (e.g., Greek, Italian, Mandarin, etc.)

  • Definitions:

    • Race: Biological groups with distinct physical characteristics.

    • Ethnicity: Groups with common nationality, religion, language, or culture.

    • Culture: Encompassing practices, beliefs, and daily rituals of an ethnic group.

Australia's Culturally & Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Population

• 300+ languages spoken in Australia, with significant statistics from the 2016 Census:

  • 45% of Australians (10.6 million) were born overseas or have parents born overseas.

  • 21% speak a non-English language at home, with 15% of the population not having English as a first language.

Migration Patterns

• Overview of migrant arrivals by region from 1975-2016, showcasing significant movement from various global regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Context of Immigration

• Factors influencing migrants to Australia:

  • Reasons for leaving original countries, legal status, trauma experiences, and subgroup memberships (ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion).

Acculturation

• Acculturation impact on social and psychological well-being:

  • Types of Acculturation:

    • Traditional: adherence to the original culture.

    • Bicultural: a mix of new and old cultural traits.

    • Acculturated: modification of old beliefs.

    • Assimilated: complete adoption of new cultural beliefs.

Culture, Cognition, & Neurodevelopment

• Culture influences behavior and cognition:

  • Societal values shape viewpoints, learning processes affected by cultural activities, and the evolution of thinking changes with cultural norms.

Language & Communication

• Communication varies significantly between cultures:

  • Verbal Communication: Tone and expression can differ, some words may not exist in other languages.

  • Non-Verbal Communication: Includes touch, gestures, and personal space usage differences.

Political Impact on Culture

• Political systems influence societal views and cultural identity—various political types (democracy, dictatorship) impart different cultural understandings.

Education's Role

• Education varies by cultural context; Western education emphasizes critical thinking, whereas Eastern approaches focus more on memorization.

Psychological Assessment in CALD Groups

• Limitations identified in applying Western psychological methods to CALD populations, emphasizing the need for cultural competence and understanding.

  • Care must be taken with DSM labels as they may not translate across cultures.

  • Research shows that misdiagnosis is prevalent in using these standardized tests in CALD groups.

Psychometric Testing Overview

• Instruments and methods for psychological assessment in clinical settings include:

  • Clinical interviewing, developmental history, medical, and psychological history.

  • Commonly used psychometric tests for cognitive assessments include WAIS, WMS, and MMPI useful primarily in English-speaking populations.

Normative Data Challenges

• Importance of appropriate normative data for psychometric tests, noting that current norms often do not account for CALD populations, leading to potential misinterpretations of scores.

Characteristics of CALD Groups

• Factors impacting performance on Western tests include variations in education quality, acculturation levels, and specific cultural backgrounds.

Potential Biases in Assessment

• Item bias in tests can lead to inaccuracies, as specific items may not yield the same results across different cultures, affecting cognitive testing outcomes.

Implications of Educational Background

• Specific challenges faced by illiterate or low-educated individuals could lead to misinterpretation of cognitive assessment scores, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive evaluation tools.