MMPI subtle-obvious scales and malingering: clinical versus simulated scores

Subtle-obvious scale discrepancies on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were compared for pathology simulators and clinical groups to test the hypothesis that subtle-obvious scores help differentiate simulators. Total obvious minus subtle T score discrepancy greater than 100 discriminated the student malingerers and produced few false positives among clinical populations such as psychiatric inpatients and outpatients. The hypothesis that these clinical patients score high on these indices of malingering as a baserate or as a cry for help was rejected. These data suggest that there are differences between simulators and clinical patients, which are detectable by use of subtle-obvious scores, and that this procedure bears further exploration.