Partial cross-validation of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) General Memory-Attention/Concentration Malingering Index in a nonlitigating sample.
The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) malingering indices proposed by Mittenberg, Azrin, Millsaps, and Heilbronner [Psychol Assess 5 (1993) 34.] were partially cross-validated in a sample of 200 nonlitigants. Nine diagnostic categories were examined, including participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain tumor, stroke/vascular, senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT), epilepsy, depression/anxiety, medical problems, and no diagnosis. Results showed that the discriminant function using WMS-R subtests misclassified only 6.5% of the sample as malingering, with significantly higher misclassification rates of SDAT and stroke/vascular groups. The General Memory Index-Attention/Concentration Index (GMI-ACI) difference score misclassified only 8.5% of the sample as malingering when a difference score of greater than 25 points was used as the cutoff criterion. No diagnostic group was significantly more likely to be misclassified. Results support the utility of the GMI-ACI difference score, as well as the WMS-R subtest discriminant function score, in detecting malingering.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. robin.hilsabec@ttmc.ttuhsc.edu
Robin C
RC
Hilsabeck
Matthew D
MD
Thompson
James W
JW
Irby
Russell L
RL
Adams
James G
JG
Scott
Wm Drew
WD
Gouvier
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014888:Wechsler Scales