Assessment of Malingered Neuropsychological Deficits

Book excerpt: Written specifically for the clinical neuropsychologist who does forensic consultations, the book is a comprehensive review by experts of the procedures available to evaluate malingered neuropsychological deficits. It discusses tools for detecting atypical patterns of performance on standard clinical tests as well as malingering on measures of perception and sensorimotor function, of attention, processing speed, and memory, and of executive function. The underpinnings of the forensic neuropsychology enterprise are presented in chapters on definitions of malingering, research designs for its evaluation, data on the frequency with which malingering occurs, diagnostic classification statistics, symptom validity tests that do not depend on forced choice testing, and those that do. Guidance on assessing exaggerated psychiatric symptoms; exaggerated medical symptoms and injuries; and detecting malingering during the neurological exam is also included. Of particular note is a chapter devoted to the topic of coaching. The book closes with a review of the diagnostic criteria for malingering and looks to the future with evidence-based proposals for improving the criteria.