Performance and symptom validity testing.

Abstract

The purposes of a neuropsychological exam are to objectively mea sure neurocognitive function across multiple domains (overall intelligence, attention, processing speed, memory, language, visual perceptual/spatial skills, executive abilities, academic skills, and fine motor function) and to document psychiatric symptoms and con ditions. Important decisions stem from conclusions derived from neuropsychological testing, and therefore it is critical that the test data obtained are accurate and representative of true skill level and actual psychiatric function.Malingering refers to deliberate feigning of symptoms for an external goal. External goals can include damages in a personal injury lawsuit, disability compensation, test accommodations for standard ized academic testing, access to medications, and being excused from criminal responsibility for illegal acts. Performance validity tests ini tially were referred to as malingering tests, and in 1999 a diagnostic algorithm was published for Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction (Slick et al., 1999), which was recently updated (Sherman et al., 2020).