Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology Advance Access originally published online on September 24, 2009
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 2009 24(7):659-669; doi:10.1093/arclin/acp071
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The Diagnostic Accuracy of Symptom Validity Tests when Used with Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities: A Preliminary Investigation
Regents' Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia, Athens, USA
* Corresponding author at: Regents' Center for Learning Disorders, The University of Georgia, 331 Milledge Hall, Athens, GA 30602-1556, USA. Tel.: +30-706-542-4589; fax: +30-706-583-0001. E-mail address: wlindstr{at}uga.edu (W.A. Lindstrom).
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Abstract |
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The current exploratory investigation examined the diagnostic accuracy of the Word Memory Test (WMT), Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), and Word Reading Test (WRT) with three groups of postsecondary students: controls, learning disability (LD) simulators, and a presumed honest LD group. Each measure achieved high overall diagnostic accuracy, yet each contributed differently to suboptimal effort detection. False-negative classifications varied by measure, yet no simulator went undetected by all three tests. The WMT and WRT identified different members of the presumed honest LD group as demonstrating poor effort, whereas the TOMM identified none. Each measure contributed unique variance in a logistic regression, with effort status best predicted by WMT Consistency. Findings provided preliminary evidence that all three measures may be useful when assessing effort during postsecondary LD evaluations. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.
Keywords Word Memory Test; Test of Memory Malingering; Word Reading Test; Learning disability; Poor effort; Cognitive symptom exaggeration
Accepted: August 28, 2009