Detecting feigned high impact experiences: A symptom over-report questionnaire outperforms the emotional Stroop task

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The Modified Stroop Task (MST) effect, a prolonged reaction time (RT) in color-naming disorder-related words, is debated as an indicator of feigning psychological symptoms.
• Some researchers propose that the absence of an MST effect may signal symptom exaggeration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the robustness of the MST effect against feigning attempts.
• To compare the MST's efficacy in detecting feigning against symptom over-reporting on the Self-Reported Symptom Inventory (SRSI).

Main Methods:

• Participants included high scorers (n=22), low scorers (n=24) on psychological impact, and simulators (n=18) instructed to feign symptoms.
• The study administered the MST (with impact-related, neutral, and feigning-related words) and the SRSI.

Main Results:

• No significant MST effect was observed for impact-related words in high scorers or feigning-related words in simulators.
• Simulators showed significantly longer RTs across all word types and endorsed more bogus symptoms on the SRSI compared to other groups.
• The SRSI demonstrated greater sensitivity in detecting feigning than the absence of an MST effect.

Conclusions:

• The findings cast doubt on the utility of the MST effect for differentiating genuine from feigned psychological complaints.
• The SRSI appears to be a more reliable tool for identifying feigned symptoms in clinical and research settings.