Psychologists' accuracy in identifying neuropsychological test protocols of clinical malingerers

Neuropsychology practitioners' accuracy in detecting malingering (based on neuropsychological test data alone) was investigated. Four test protocols had been produced by clinical malingerers who were identified by below-chance forced-choice test (FCT) results. For two of the cases observation/ surveillance data also indicated malingering. Two test protocols had been produced by severely head-injured individuals. Sixty psychologists reviewed a malingered test protocol and 26 reviewed data of a head-injured patient. Error rates (diagnosis of cerebral dysfunction without identifying malingering) ranged from zero to 25% and averaged 10% across the four malingered cases. Eight percent of the psychologists diagnosed malingering in the severely head-injured cases. Psychologists who received FCT data were significantly more confident in their diagnoses than were psychologists who did not receive FCT results, but they were not more accurate. The results suggest that neuropsychologists are capable of accurately detecting malingering, at least for obvious cases.