Passing or Failing of Symptom Validity Tests in Academic Accessibility Populations: Neuropsychological Assessment of “Near-Pass” Patients

• Main Author: Farrer, Thomas Jeffrey
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2015
• Subjects: symptom validity test; performance validity; academic accessibility; neuropsychological functioning; Psychology
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5944; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6943&context=etd

There is overwhelming evidence that the presence of secondary gain is an independent predictor of both performance validity and neuropsychological test outcomes. In addition, studies have demonstrated that genuine cognitive and/or psychological conditions can influence performance validity testing, both in the presence and absence of secondary gain. However, few studies have examined these factors in a large sample of academic accommodation seeking college students. The current study examined base rates of symptom validity test failure, the possibility of a “Near-Pass” intermediate group on symptom validity tests, the influence of diagnoses on performance indicators, and whether performance validity differed for “Near-Pass” patients relative to those who pass and those who fail performance validity indicators.