Attention-Based Performance Validity Assessment in Paediatric Samples

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Neuropsychological assessments in children require reliable performance validity testing (PVT).
• Existing paediatric PVTs have limitations in assessing task engagement.
• The Groningen Effort Test (GET) is an attention-based measure with potential for PVT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Groningen Effort Test (GET) as an attention-based performance validity test (PVT) in children and adolescents.
• To compare GET performance with established PVTs like the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Reliable Digit Span (RDS).
• To examine the influence of age and clinical status on GET performance.

Main Methods:

• A simulation design study involving typically developing controls, instructed simulators, and outpatient referrals.
• Participants aged 6-17 years completed the TOMM Trial-1, RDS, and GET.
• Age-stratified cutoffs were used to analyze GET sensitivity and specificity.

Main Results:

• GET performance improved with age, with outpatient referrals scoring lower than controls.
• Age-stratified cutoffs demonstrated high specificity and strong sensitivity in children, comparable to TOMM and RDS.
• Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses showed excellent accuracy in children and good to moderate accuracy in adolescents.

Conclusions:

• The Groningen Effort Test (GET) is a promising tool for paediatric performance validity testing.
• GET demonstrates good accuracy in children, though sensitivity is reduced in adolescents.
• Further clinical validation is recommended for the GET in paediatric populations.