Diagnostic System for Malingered Neurocognitive Disability/Dysfunction and Related Negative Response Biases

Over the past 10 years, widespread and concerted research efforts have led to increasingly sophisticated and efficient methods and instruments for detecting exaggeration or fabrication of cognitive dysfunction. Despite these psychometric advances, the process of diagnosing malingering remains difficult and largely idiosyncratic. This article presents a proposed set of diagnostic criteria that define psychometric, behavioral, and collateral data indicative of possible, probable, and definite malingering of cognitive dysfunction, for use in clinical practice and for defining populations for clinical research. Relevant literature is reviewed, and limitations and benefits of the proposed criteria are discussed.

This paper presents a scale for using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 for the detection of malingerers in personal injury claims. Data are reported for personal injury claimants and for medical outpatients simulating emotional distress caused by motor vehicle accidents, industrial stress, and toxic exposure. Criterion problems are discussed. The answers and scored directions are presented in an appendix to the paper.