Utility of the Rey-15 Recognition Trial to Detect Invalid Performance in a Forensic Neuropsychological Sample

• Published in: Clinical neuropsychologist Vol. 27; no. 8; pp. 1395 - 1407
• Main Authors: Morse, Chelsea L., Douglas-Newman, Kara, Mandel, Steven, Swirsky-Sacchetti, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hove Routledge 01.11.2013; Psychology Press
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology); Female; Forensic Psychiatry - methods; Humans; Learning Disorders; Male; Malingering; Malingering - diagnosis; Malingering - psychology; Medical Records; Medical sciences; Mental Recall; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuropsychology; Performance validity testing; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Recognition (Psychology); Retrospective Studies; Rey Fifteen Item Test; Rey-15; Sensitivity and Specificity; Techniques and methods; Human; Performance validity testing; Malingering; Neuropsychological test; Psychometrics; Validity; Utility; Response falsification; Rey Fifteen Item Test; Neuropsychology; Performance; Neuropsychologia; Recognition; Rey-15
• ISSN: 1385-4046; 1744-4144
• DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2013.832385

The current study sought to address the utility of the Rey Fifteen Item Test (Rey-15), with the use of a combined score [recall correct + (recognition correct - false positives)], to distinguish between valid and invalid performance among a sample of litigating persons referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Scores on the Rey-15 were analyzed across four comparison groups: (1) litigating persons with evidence of invalid performance (n = 29), (2) litigating persons with valid performance (n = 63), (3) learning-disabled patients (n = 36), and (4) a mixed clinical neuropsychological sample not involved in litigation (n = 54). A Rey-15 combined cutoff score of < 21 yielded the highest sensitivity (70%) and specificity (92.8%) rates. If the Rey-15 is to be used in clinical practice to detect invalid performance, the recognition trial with combined score < 21 should be used. Findings support the use of the combined Rey-15 score in place of the previously used recall Rey-15 score to improve sensitivity and specificity rates for detection of invalid performance in litigating neuropsychological referrals.