Megalencephaly-Capillary Malformation Polymicrogyria (M-CAP) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a spectrum of anomalies including macrocephaly and neurovascular malformations. Although developmental delays have been identified, research is devoid of neuropsychological data. This case report presents the neuropsychological profile of a 7-year-old, identified with M-CAP. Neuropsychological evaluation was completed subsequent to medical diagnosis. Reports from both parents and teachers included cognitive regression; specifically in the recall of learned material, reading, and information sequencing. Direct testing revealed a WISC-IV GAI at <1 percentile, a diverse range of scores across the battery, and a splinter skill strength of average to above on visual memory tests. Performance included below grade level reading and writing, reduced adaptive functioning, and reported executive dysfunction. Her strong visual memory skills were recommended as a medium to enhance learning. Neurocognitive deficits revealed diverse, multisystem and multifocal impairments. The neuropsychological evaluation also showed significant decline from the previous evaluation and prompted a neurologic consult and corrective surgical procedure.

Objective This study examined item performance on Trial 1 of the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM). We also identified items that were most often missed in individuals with genuine effort. Method Participants were 106 adults seen for disability claims (87.7% male; 70.5% Caucasian, 26.7% Black; age range 22–84 years, Mage = 44.42 years, SD = 13.07; Meducation = 13.58, SD = 2.05) who completed and passed the TOMM as part of a larger battery. Mean score Trial 1 was 43.08, SD = 5.49. Mean score on Trial 2 was 48.98, SD = 1.54. Results Frequency analysis indicated that &gt;95% of the sample correctly identified six items on Trial 1: item 1-spinning wheel (97.2%), item 8-musical notes (99.1%), item 38-ice cream (98.1%), item 41-life preserver (95.3%), item 45-iron (95.3%), and item 47-dart (98.1%). Nine items were correctly identified on Trial 1 by &lt;80% of the sample: item 2-tissue box (77.4%), item 6-suitcase (77.4%), item 20-motorcycle (77.4%), item 22-jack-in-the box (71.7%), item 26-light bulb (75.5%), item 27-maple leaf (72.6%), item 32-racket (79.2%), item 36-birdhouse (79.2%), item 44-pail & shovel (66.0%). Conclusions These findings suggest that items on Trial 1 of the TOMM differ in difficulty in a disability claims sample who performed genuinely on the TOMM. Items 1, 8, 38, 41, 45, and 47 are good candidates for a rarely missed index where failure of these items would be probabilistically unlikely. Future research should evaluate whether these items are failed at higher rates in cases of borderline TOMM performance to improve sensitivity to feigning.

Objective This study aimed to examine the effect of personality traits on a simple problem-solving test of intelligence. Method The sample consisted of 82 undergraduates. Participants completed an online battery that included an open source Five Factor Model measure (IPIP FFM), Grit scale, Need for Cognition (NFC) scale, and the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). CRT is a simple 3 question test of intelligence. An interaction variable for positive effort was created by multiplying the total raw scores for the Grit and NFC scales (Grit x NFC). Correlations were conducted between the Grit x NFC, IPIP FFM, and the CRT total score. Scales that significantly correlated with CRT total score were entered into a regression model. Results Pearson correlations revealed a significant positive association between Grit x NFC and CRT performance, (r = 0.240, p &lt; 0.05). A significant correlation was also found between IPIP FFM Extraversion factor and CRT performance (r = 0.230, p &lt; 0.05). A regression model found that Grit x NFC and IPIP FFM Extraversion accounted for 9.2% of the variance in CRT total scores, (R2 = 0.092, F(1,82) = 3.92, p = 0.024). When examined individually, no individual predictors were significant. Conclusion These findings suggest that personality traits that reflect positive effort such as Grit and NFC as well as other personality features influence performance on problem-solving bases measures of intelligence. Future research should examine these findings in a larger sample with a broader array of cognitive measures to quantify the role of positive effort in cognitive performance.

Objective This study utilized logistic regression to determine whether performance patterns on the WAIS-IV subtests could differentiate between genuine-effort and simulated ADHD groups. Method Participants were 355 college students (55.3%% female; 65.7% Caucasian, 23.9% African American, 4.2% Asian; age range 17–51 years, Mage = 20.93 years, SD = 4.63; 76.4% no psychological diagnosis) who completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Mean FSIQ for control group was 102.35 and 87.48 for the simulator group. Eighty participants (22.5%) simulated ADHD symptoms, while 276 participants (77.5%) provided genuine effort. Results A logistic regression analysis was performed with known group as the dependent variable and WAIS-IV subtest scaled scores as predictor variables. The final model of five predictor variables (Similarities, Information, Digit Span, Symbol Search, and Coding) significantly predicted group status (χ2 = 140.91, df = 5, N = 355, p &lt; .001). The model accounted for 33% to 50% of the variance (Cox and Snell R2 = .33; Nagelkerke R2 = .50) in performance classification with overall 86% of individuals correctly predicted to their known group. At a cut value of .65 the sensitivity was 69.6% and the specificity was 90.6%. A cut value of.55 the sensitivity was 53.2% and the specificity was at 94.6%. Conclusions These findings are consistent with prior research suggesting discriminant function analysis derived from clinical measures (e.g., WAIS-IV) can be useful as embedded validity measures in distinguishing suspicious and genuine performance. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive power of the WAIS-IV subtests were acceptable at 5% and 10% false positive rates.

Objective The association between feigned Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and intellectual functioning was examined in a sample of undergraduate students instructed to simulate ADHD. Method 90 undergraduate students completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV), b Test, and Green’s Word Memory Test (WMT) as part of a larger study [mean age 19.23 years (SD 1.67), range 17–26 years old; mean 12.47 years of education (SD .86); 58.9% female; 58.9% Caucasian, 32.2% African American, 8.9% Other]. Intra-individual variability (IIV) was calculated as standard deviation of the overall test battery mean for the 10 core WAIS-IV subtests. Results A moderate association was found between WAIS-IV IIV and b Test E-score (r = .397, p &lt; .05). WAIS-IV IIV was also moderately associated with b Test errors (d errors r = .299, p &lt; .05; commissions r = .284, p &lt; .05; omissions r = .463, p &lt; .01) and completion time (r = .332, p &lt; .05). No significant relationships were found between WAIS-IV IIV and WMT performance. Conclusions Given that IIV within intellectual functioning was correlated with performance on b Test but not WMT, this suggests the variability in objectively measured intelligence for simulators is associated with feigned attentional symptoms but not feigned memory symptoms. These findings implicate detection of malingered symptom presentation for ADHD to be more sensitive in the attentional domain compared to memory. Therefore, performance validity tests assessing attentional abilities may be more applicable in diagnostic settings aimed at detection of ADHD.