ASSESSING RESPONSE VAILIDITY AND CREDIBILITY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE INDEPENDENT NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION
Over the past few decades, a multitude of tests and indicators have been developed to attempt to detect invalid neuropsychological test findings. However, the proliferation and popularity of these measures have contributed to the impression that it is possible to use them to identify malingering. In the following, a conceptual framework is proposed to attempt to better understand the underlying issues and aid with the interpretation of response invalidity. It is proposed that this involves two distinct steps. The first involves detecting non-valid cognitive results using psychometric methods, and more specifically performance validity tests (PVTs). The second requires judgment of the non-credibility of the overall clinical picture, integrating and assessing inconsistencies among various sources. Only in the presence of compelling inconsistencies might it be possible to make an informed decision about the exaggeration of cognitive symptoms.