One hundred and ten fundamentals of performance validity tests in neuropsychological forensic disability and related assessment II: Literature review.

Abstract

The concepts underlying performance validity tests (PVTs) change in focus and, also, the research in their use in forensic neuropsychological assessment is burgeoning. First, we review definitions, testing, and counting procedures. As well, ethics related to assessment have changed, in addition to admissibility laws for court. Next, we examine test construction, and provide a pertinent example of a recently developed PVT, the Inventory of Problems-Memory (IOP-M). In terms of recent empirical PVT research, we enumerate 15 themes that organize the field. There are five themes on foundations, five on extensions, and five on applications. They include: (a) for foundations: PVT validation, PVT fail base rate, PVT cut scores, creating new tests, and embedded PVTs; (b) for extensions, novel PVT approaches, advanced PVT technologies, remote PVTs, demographic research and limitations, and multivariate approaches; and (c) for other applications, clinical applications, students, psychological injuries, extreme conditions, and combinations with symptom validity tests (SVTs). The ongoing research on PVTs support their use in forensic neuropsychological assessment. In determining whether malingering or related attributions has taken place, the assessor needs to consider the full examinee profile; PVT data speak only to invalid response set.