The Detection of Malingered Mental Retardation in High- and Low-Cognitive Ability Individuals

• Main Author: Proto, Daniel Anthony
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2008
• Subjects: Ability tests; Age; Brain damage; Brain research; Clinical psychology; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive psychology; Design; Disability studies; Expert witness testimony; Head injuries; Intellectual disabilities; Intelligence tests; Law; Memory; Mental disorders; Mental health; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; Psychobiology; Psychologists; Psychology; Psychopathology; Psychosis; Traumatic brain injury; Trials
• ISBN: 9798802790298

The detection of malingering is an area of research that has received increasing attention in recent decades. Neuropsychologists in particular are often asked to assess the validity of symptoms such as cognitive impairment due to brain injury or toxic chemical exposure. Additionally, given the decision of the U.S. Supreme court in Atkins v. Virginia (2002), incentive to feign mental retardation in order to avoid capital punishment has greatly increased. However, few measures of malingering detection have been thoroughly studied for their applicability to mentally retarded individuals, and for their ability to accurately distinguish between malingerers, normal controls, and individuals with mental retardation (MR). The current study explores the use of the Bender Gestalt Test (BGT), and of the Koppitz and Lacks scoring systems in particular, as a screening device to determine the validity of claimed intellectual disability. Additionally, high- and low-cognitive ability groups were compared on their capacity to successfully malinger on the BGT, the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), the Rey Memory for Fifteen Items test (MFIT), and the Rey Dot-Counting test (RDCT). Results showed that high- and low-cognitive ability malingerers were not significantly different in their malingering performances, and both groups performed similarly to effortful responders with mild MR on all measures other than RDCT total errors. Also, of the TOMM, MFIT, and RDCT, only the RDCT did not misclassify high proportions (>30%) of mild MR participants as malingerers.