Image Perception Through Culture-Colored Lenses

Latinos in the U.S. are at elevated risk for age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease compared to non-Latino Whites, yet most existing cognitive tasks were developed in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations. This limits their validity across diverse groups. This study examined differences in image perception between Latinos and non-Latinos (N = 64), as image stimuli are often used in cognitive tasks. Latinos rated emotional images as more intensely positive and negative than non-Latinos. They also rated similar image pairs, often used as “lures” in memory tests, as more similar. These differences could bias interpretations of cognitive decline in Latino populations, emphasizing the need to account for cultural and ethnic context in cognitive assessments. Limitations include a highly educated, U.S.-based sample and lack of consideration for factors such as acculturation, socioeconomic status, and bilingualism within the Latino group.