title: Exploring the sensitivity of the Personality Assessment Inventory symptom validity tests in detecting response bias in a mixed neuropsychological outpatient sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have evaluated the symptom validity tests (SVTs) within the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in a neuropsychological assessment context. Accordingly, the present study explored the accuracy of PAI SVTs in identifying exaggerated cognitive dysfunction in a mixed sample of outpatients referred for neuropsychological assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants who failed two or more Performance Validity Tests (PVTs) were classified as having exaggerated cognitive dysfunction (n = 49). Their responses on PAI SVTs were compared to examinees who did not fail PVTs (n = 257).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate analysis of variance indicated the Negative Impression Management (NIM) scale most strongly discriminated between those with exaggerated cognitive dysfunction from honest responders (Cohen's d = .58). Nonetheless, its classification accuracy was low (area under the curve [AUC] = .65). A k-means cluster analysis and a subsequent multinomial logistic regression indicated evidence for two distinct groups of exaggerators. In particular, one group seemed to exaggerate symptoms, whereas another presented in a defensive manner, implying that individuals with positive and NIM biases on the PAI were apt to display invalid performance on PVTs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings indicated that exaggerated cognitive dysfunction tends to be present when NIM is very high and that evidence exists for a defensive response style on the PAI in the context of PVT failure.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, Counseling Psychology , The University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA.
authors.forename: Owen J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Gaasedelen
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry , University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA.
authors.forename: Douglas M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Whiteside
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , University of Tulsa , Tulsa , OK , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015982:Bias; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Personality Assessment Inventory; performance validity; symptom validity