The Memory Assessment Scales in the detection of incomplete effort in mild head injury.
Despite differences in the constructs measured, the Memory Assessment Scales (MAS) remain an alternative to the Wechsler Memory Scales (WMS) as a broad-band instrument for assessing multiple aspects of attention and memory. Although a number of studies have examined indices of the WMS as indicators of malingering, few studies have similarly investigated the MAS. In this study, we examined the degree to which the MAS was effective in detecting incomplete effort in a clinical sample of patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation after mild head injury. Included in the sample were 21 financially compensable (FC) participants with alleged mild head injury and 21 participants who were not involved in litigation and suffered more serious head injuries. Examination of the four MAS domain indices indicated that Short-Term Memory was most useful at identifying incomplete effort. We also examined subscales of the MAS. Consistent with previous findings, brief tests such as Verbal and Visual Span had high rates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Although tests based on a forced-choice recognition paradigm (e.g., Immediate and Delayed Visual Recognition) predicted group membership above chance levels, they failed to significantly add to prediction above Verbal and Visual Span subtests.
Ross
S R
SR
Department of Psychology, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 46135, USA. srross@depauw.edu
Krukowski
R A
RA
Putnam
S H
SH
Adams
K M
KM
D000328:Adult; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000209:etiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014888:Wechsler Scales