Suspected malingering and the Digit Memory Test: a replication and extension.
This study replicated a previous finding that suspected malingerers often perform at a level worse than patients with unequivocal brain dysfunction on the Digit Memory Test (DMT). In addition, it was demonstrated that patients suffering from aphasia as well as temporal and "frontal lobe" damage perform at a level higher than suspected malingerers. DMT performance of patients with true dementia, however, may be difficult to distinguish from suspected malingerers. If an individual is not demented (as judged by such tests as the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions) and performs at a level less than 95% across three trials of the DMT, the question of noncooperation with testing procedures or "malingering" should be considered.
Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA. neuropub@mha.chw.edu
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