Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Specificity rates for non-clinical, bilingual, Mexican Americans on three popular performance validity measures*

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-3-2017

Abstract

Objective: To measure specificity as failure rates for non-clinical, bilingual, Mexican Americans on three popular performance validity measures: (a) the language format Reliable Digit Span; (b) visual-perceptual format Test of Memory Malingering; and (c) visual-perceptual format Dot Counting, using optimal/suboptimal effort cut scores developed for monolingual, English-speakers. Methods: Participants were 61 consecutive referrals, aged between 18 and 65 years, with < 16 years of education who were subjectively bilingual (confirmed via formal assessment) and chose the language of assessment, Spanish or English, for the performance validity tests. Results: Failure rates were 38% for Reliable Digit Span, 3% for the Test of Memory Malingering, and 7% for Dot Counting. For Reliable Digit Span, the failure rates for Spanish (46%) and English (31%) languages of administration did not differ significantly. Conclusions: Optimal/suboptimal effort cut scores derived for monolingual English-speakers can be used with Spanish/English bilinguals when using the visual-perceptual format Test of Memory Malingering and Dot Counting. The high failure rate for Reliable Digit Span suggests it should not be used as a performance validity measure with Spanish/English bilinguals, irrespective of the language of test administration, Spanish or English.

Comments

© 2017 informa UK limited, trading as Taylor & Francis group

Note: This study formed the basis of a thesis submitted by the third author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts degree in experimental psychology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

https://www.tandfonline.com/share/GZJHKB5MGFISQVGWKGR2?target=10.1080/13854046.2016.1277786

First Page

587

Last Page

597

Publication Title

The Clinical Neuropsychologist

DOI

10.1080/13854046.2016.1277786

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