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Detecting malingerers by means of response-sequence analysis.
Miriam R Linschoten1, Lewis O Harvey
1University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA. miriam.linschoten@uchsc.edu
Perception & Psychophysics
|March 9, 2005
Summary
Detecting malingerers in sensory testing is challenging. Combining a maximum-likelihood adaptive-staircase procedure with response randomness analysis accurately identifies individuals feigning sensory loss.
Area of Science:
- Psychophysics
- Sensory Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Malingering, or the feigning of sensory loss, presents a significant diagnostic challenge.
- Accurate assessment of sensory abilities is crucial for appropriate medical and psychological evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a psychophysical method for detecting malingerers.
- To enhance the accuracy of sensory detection threshold measurements.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a two-alternative, forced-choice maximum-likelihood adaptive-staircase procedure to measure olfactory detection thresholds for butyl alcohol.
- Measured response-sequence randomness in conjunction with threshold estimation.
- Included participants: 7 healthy controls, 6 individuals with anosmia (loss of smell), and 6 malingerers.
Main Results:
- Discriminant analysis using only threshold concentration and accuracy classified 68% of malingerers and anosmics.
- Incorporating statistical measures of response-sequence randomness improved classification accuracy to 100% for both anosmics and malingerers.
Conclusions:
- The combination of the maximum-likelihood adaptive-staircase procedure and response-sequence analysis is a highly effective tool for detecting malingering.
- This integrated approach significantly enhances the reliability of sensory ability evaluations.