The Assessment of Malingering in Neuropsychological Evaluations: Research-Based Concepts and Methods for Consultants

Over the past decade there has been a significant increase in attention to malingering, particularly in the area of neuropsychology, where assessment results might have implications for legal determinations. Recently, research has identified several measures that might prove helpful in the identification of malingered test performance. The present article reviews issues in the definition of malingering, as well as some of the procedures that have been used to detect malingered test performance. The literature supporting these measures and the limitations to their use are also addressed. The author concludes that more research is needed in this complex area and suggests that the field might also benefit from developing measures to systematically assess the broader feature of test motivation as a means of further improving the assessment process.