title: Development of the MMPI-2 cognitive complaints scale as an embedded measure of symptom validity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To empirically-derive a new MMPI-2 sub-scale, the 13-item Cognitive Complaints Scale (CCS), as an embedded measure of symptom validity. This study hypothesized that mild traumatic brain injured subjects with financial incentives who failed performance validity tests (PVTs) would score significantly higher on the CCS compared to mild traumatic brain injured subjects with financial incentives who passed PVTs. Mild traumatic brain injured controls with no financial incentives were predicted to score lowest on the CCS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A known groups design was utilized as this design allows for the accurate classification of criterion groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and fifty mild head-injured adults were assigned to one of three groups: the Failed Performance Validity (FPV) group, the Passed Performance Validity (PPV) group or a control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An ANOVA revealed that the FPV group scored significantly higher on the CCS compared to the PPV group. Controls with no financial incentives scored lowest. A CCS cut-score of ≥12 discriminated between the FPV and PPV groups at a high level of specificity (94%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A dissociation between 'performance validity' and 'symptom validity' supports recommendations for the differential application of these descriptive terms. The CCS may be helpful to assess credibility of clinical presentation in situations where PVTs are absent.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles Neuropsychology Group , Los Angeles, CA , USA .
authors.forename: George K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Heilbronner
authors.forename: Wiley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mittenberg
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hellemann
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results