Measuring cognition and motivation across cultural groups

In work settings, individuals are selected and promoted based on their cognitive capacities and motivations; pupils are selected into classes or universities based on their academic record and mental abilities and the assessment of motivational factors and mental capabilities of clients is important for making appropriate diagnoses in the mental health domain. Therefore, there is a need to address to what extent existing tests are adequate and can be used with culturally diverse populations. This chapter outlines criteria and principles for assessing equivalence and bias of psychological tests and provides a brief review of methods that could be used for examining the applicability of tests and specific domains with their cross-cultural applicability. The focus is on tests of mental ability as used in educational and work settings and assessment of motivation in work settings using measures of commitment to the organization.