Detecting feigned impairment with the digit span and vocabulary subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-third edition.
The WAIS-III Digit Span and Vocabulary subtests were investigated as indicators of feigned cognitive impairment. Participants included 64 undergraduates randomly assigned to control, symptom-coached, or test-coached groups. Six previously researched validity indicators were examined. We hypothesized that symptom-coached participants would perform worse relative to test-coached simulators. Analyses determined both simulator groups performed lower than controls on all indicators except Vocabulary. Symptom-coached participants, however, did not differ from test-coached participants on any indicator. Classification accuracies for these six indicators ranged from 42 to 78%. While the WAIS-III validity indicators hold some promise, they should not be employed as independent measures.
Schwarz
Lauren R
LR
Psychology Department, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA. schwarzl@slu.edu
Gfeller
Jeffrey D
JD
Oliveri
Michael V
MV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014825:Vocabulary; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*