Hispanic Americans

Objective: Our main objectives were to identify cognitive markers of progression to a more severe cognitive diagnosis, explore possible differences between ethnic groups and to correlate cognitive markers of progression with biomarkers of AD (hippocampal and entorhinal volumes) and frontal volumes (lateral orbitofrontal, medial orbitofrontal, superior frontal, and rostral middle frontal volumes). Method: 207 participants (Mage = 71.79, SD = 7.48, 123 Hispanic Americans [HA]) were followed for an average of 23 months. Participants were classified into 3 diagnostic groups (Cognitively normal [CN], mild cognitive impairment [MCI], or dementia) based on the CDR global score and the neuropsychological baseline data was used as predictors of progression status. For the CN group, the Benson Figure delayed recall was a predictor of cognitive decline, and within the MCI group, the Benson delayed recall, the HVLT immediate recall, the TMTB, category fluency, and three measures of the LASSI-L (A1 cued recall, A2 cued recall, and delayed recall) were significant predictors of progression to dementia and are suggested as cognitive markers of progression for MCI individuals. Memory cognitive markers and category fluency correlated with medial temporal lobe volumes, and the TMT-B correlated with superior frontal volume. We did not observe significant differences in cognitive markers across ethnic groups. Conclusion: we identified cognitive markers of progression for CN and for MCI diagnoses which were not different across ethnic groups. These findings contribute to literature on the early identification of individuals at risk of progression to a more severe cognitive status even within asymptomatic individuals which can facilitate a more time- and cost-effective practice that is essential to the provision of the appropriate treatment to those at higher risk of progression.

Adult-child interactions vary between cultures. For example, Hispanic parents are characterized by a more adult-centered style of interaction with children, while European American parents are more child-centered. Little is known about the influences cultural differences may have on the ways that Spanish-English bilingual parents speak to their children in each language. To address this question, 17 monolingual Spanish-speaking Hispanic American mothers, 22 monolingual English-speaking European American mothers, and 33 Spanish-English bilingual mothers were videorecorded in toy-play interactions with their children. The bilingual mothers and children were recorded in two sessions, one in which they were instructed to speak English and one in which they were instructed to speak Spanish. Using CHILDES programs, these interactions were transcribed and coded for properties of parent-child conversation known to be related to child language outcomes and hypothesized to reflect parent-centered and child-centered styles of interaction. The parent-child conversations of the two monolingual groups were compared in order to obtain baseline cultural differences in interaction style. The parentchild conversations of the bilingual mothers when speaking Spanish and when speaking English were compared in terms of the properties that showed differences between the monolingual groups. The conversations of the monolingual Hispanic American mothers were characterized by fewer maternal word types, and proportionately fewer maternal questions, and fewer child utterances than the conversations of the monolingual European American mothers. These differences were reflected in the comparisons of the bilingual mothers’ Spanish and English interactions with the exception of number of word types. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that (1) Spanish-speaking Hispanic American mothers use a more adult-centered style of interaction with their children compared to European American mothers, who use a more child-centered style of interacting with children and that (2) Hispanic American bilingual mothers reflect aspects of these cultural differences when speaking each language with their children.

Although growth in the Hispanic population and its buying power has outpaced by far non-Hispanic U.S. growth in the last decade, only a limited amount of attention has been given to study consumer acculturation among Hispanic subcultures. That lack of research represents one of the biggest gaps in the ethnic marketing literature. Previous research has shown that leveln of acculturation is one of the best ways to segment markets, yet key concepts in the acculturation literature have been used interchangeably (Wallendorf & Reilly, 1983 ; Metha & Belk, 1991 ; Hui, Laroche and Kim, 1998 ; Webster, 1994 ; Penaloza, 1994 ; Laroche, Kim, Hui, and Tomiuk, 1998 ; Ogden, Ogden & Schau, 2004). This research clarifies such concepts and studies the effects of level of acculturation on attitudes toward money among Mexican Americans. Findings suggest that one of the sub-processes of acculturation, integration, can be effectively used to predict Mexican American attitudes toward money. Results address the need of a better understanding of consumption among Hispanic Americans. The importance of research in this area is underlined for public administrators, marketing managers and scholars alike.

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand Hispanic students' perceptions of the influences on their success at a community college. Using a qualitative design, six students were interviewed in depth in order to gain insight and perspective of their educational experience at the community college. The investigation explored each student's decision to enroll at the community college and sought to describe factors that the participants identified as having impacted their experiences at the community college, including their perceptions of themselves and their families. The study also explored the programs and practices that are in place in the community college that may influence these students' academic success. Finally, the relationship between the Hispanic students' perceptions about their academic successes and the community college's employees' perceptions were examined. Tinto's (1975) model of student integration theory provided the theoretical framework for data collection and analysis. The major analytical categories that were developed during data analysis were as follows : other academic experiences ; motivation to succeed, both internal and external ; issues of ethnicity ; issues of age ; and issues of family. The students' perceptions of their community college experiences were both positive and critical.

The purpose of this study was to examine the expectations of African American and Hispanic males in a for-profit university (TTU). This study specifically explored student perception of the retention efforts of faculty, staff, policies, procedures and services within the institutional environment. It further examined how these experiences promoted or impeded the African American or Hispanic male's persistence to graduation. The higher education institution is identified as TTU throughout this study. It is a commuter university established in the early 1900s. A qualitative case study approach was used and two campus sites were selected. Data collection included interviews of 19 students, along with 2 faculty (identified by students), as well as document analysis, and various on site observations at each campus. The data were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed to ascertain the overall views and perceptions of the participants.

Immigration has become a hot button issue across the United States. Television newsmen dedicate hours of time to excoriate the "illegal invasion." I viewed the immigration debate as something not directly concerning me. I am a legal citizen of Hispanic descent. My mother is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. However, as the government conducted raids looking for illegal immigrants, my mother became more aware of her place as a Mexican woman living in the Midwest. She wondered whether people would assume she was illegal because of her accent and appearance. Our discussions prompted me to think about of my place in the story, and about my lack of connection with the Hispanic culture. I set out to interview migrants living in South Florida, and to document my and my mother's experience with immigration and assimilation.