The Rey 15-Item Memory Test in US veterans

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

• The Rey 15-item Test is a widely used performance validity test.
• Modifications aim to enhance sensitivity and robustness against educational and intellectual deficits.
• Adding a recognition trial is a promising modification to the free recall paradigm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Rey 15-item Test with an added recognition trial (Rey-15 + Recognition Trial).
• To assess the effectiveness of this modified test in a sample of U.S. military veterans.
• To determine classification accuracy for identifying invalid performance in individuals evaluated for mild traumatic brain injury or ADHD.

Main Methods:

• The study included 155 younger U.S. military veterans.
• Participants were evaluated for mild traumatic brain injury or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Performance validity was classified as either valid (n=105) or invalid (n=50).

Main Results:

• Optimal classification accuracy was achieved using the Combination index (cutoff ≤23, 50% sensitivity, 95% specificity) and Recognition Hits score (cutoff ≤11, 52% sensitivity, 93% specificity).
• The Free Recall score showed lower sensitivity (38% at 95% specificity).
• A qualitative error score did not enhance classification accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The Rey-15 + Recognition Trial demonstrated effectiveness in identifying invalid performance.
• The recognition trial component provided a particular advantage in classification accuracy.
• Findings support the utility of the Rey-15 + Recognition Trial in clinical settings, especially for military veteran populations.