The detection of biased responding on the Wechsler Memory Scale-III and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III

by Brulot, Magali Marie-Pierre

Growing demand on the limited resources available to head-injured individuals, emphasizes the need for accurate diagnosis and proper allocation of funds. Consequently, neuropsychologistsare increasingly asked to render opinions regarding the validity of cognitive deficits reported following head injwy. Detection of biased responding has typically been approached through the use of symptom validity measures and1 or evaluation of performance patterns on standardizedneuropsychological tests. This dissertation examined patterns of malingered performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III), Wechsler Memory Scale-III ( self-report measure of physical and psychological symptoms. In addition, attempts were made to address several methodological concerns noted in previous analogue studies (e.g., allocation of preparation time). Malingered performance was compared to that of a normal control group (NC =34) and a group of mildly head injured individuals (MHI = 22). Results revealed that the simulating group (SIM = 32) endorsed more subjective concerns than the NC group. On the cognitive measures, simulators showed a tendency towards general suppression of performance versus specific areas of deficit (e.g., attention). Specifically, the SIM group suppressed their performance on the WAIS-III, but not typically enough to differentiate them statistically from either the NC or MHI groups. The SIM group's performance on the S-III was more in keeping with the overall suppressed performance pattern reported in previous research. Although simulators often performed significantly worse than the NC group, they did not generally suppress their performance excessively when compared to the MHI group. Results