No abstract

Individual and joint malingering detection accuracy of the Portland Digit Recognition Test (PDRT), Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), and Word Memory Test (WMT) was examined in traumatic brain injury (TBI; 43 non-malingering, 27 malingering) and chronic pain (CP; 42 non-malingering, 58 malingering) using a known-groups design. At published cutoffs, the PDRT and TOMM were very specific but failed to detect about 50% of malingerers; the WMT was sensitive but prone to false positive errors. ROC analyses demonstrated comparable accuracy across all three tests. Joint classification accuracy was superior to that of the individual tests. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Classification accuracy for the detection of malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MND) in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is examined for two selected measures from the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II) using criterion-groups validation. Individual and joint classification accuracies are presented for Omissions and Hit Reaction Time Standard Error across a range of scores comparing mild TBI malingering (n = 27), mild TBI not-malingering (n = 31), and moderate-to-severe (M/S) TBI not-malingering (n = 24) groups. At cutoffs associated with at least 95% specificity in both mild and M/S TBI, sensitivity to MND in mild TBI was 30% for Omissions, 41% for Hit Reaction Time Standard Error, and 44% using both indicators. These results support the use of the CPT-II as a reliable indicator for the detection of malingering in TBI when used as part of a comprehensive diagnostic system.

A scientific plan for validity assessment that additionally protects test security is needed in disability determinations and in research on classification accuracy of disability decisions.

This study examined the persistent effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance. Since poor effort can contaminate results in populations with incentive to perform poorly, performance validity was explicitly assessed and controlled for using multiple well-validated cognitive malingering indicators. Participants were 109 patients with mild TBI and 67 patients with moderate-to-severe TBI seen for neuropsychological evaluation at least one year post injury. Patients with diffuse neurological impairment and healthy controls were included for comparison. Results suggested a dose-response effect of TBI severity on WCST performance in patients providing good effort; the mild TBI group did not differ from controls while increased levels of impairment were observed in the moderate-to-severe TBI group. Effort during testing had a larger impact on WCST performance than mild or moderate-to-severe TBI. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.