Preliminary normative indications for Xhosa speaking unskilled workers on the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test

The aim of this study was to establish preliminary normative indications for Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test administered in English on a non-clinical population of Xhosa, unskilled workers (N = 33). The population has a history of relatively poor quality education and has received no tertiary education. The sample was stratified into two age grouping (18 – 29 and 30 – 40 years). Both sex and level of education were equally distributed within these age groupings. Within-sample statistical comparisons indicated no significant sex effect was present for any of the trials (Copy, IR or DR). Similarly, no significant age effect was present in the Copy trial. Significant age effects were observed for both recall trials (IR and DR). The local sample’s mean performance was descriptively and statistically compared to demographically equivalent nonlocal normative studies. Excluding an illiterate Columbian sample’s performance, the local sample performed significantly lower than all other available normative populations. Lastly, the local sample performed significantly lower than scores derived from a meta-analysis of normative indications in respect of educationally advantaged westernized groups for all three trials (p = .000 in all instances). These results assert the indispensable need for, and use of, culturally appropriate normative datasets in contemporary South African psychological assessments. Equally, these findings serve to highlight the significant influence of quality of education on cognitive test performance, being a critical socio-cultural variable that needs to be taken into consideration for norming purposes