Abstract
Symptom validity testing was adapted to assess suspicious complaints of amnesia. In the adaptation, two-alternative, forced-choice memory questions were generated for subject matter claimed to be forgotten. The number of questions correctly answered was then compared to the expected number of questions to be correctly answered if no knowledge actually existed. Three case studies are presented, two of competency-to-stand-trial evaluees and one of an insurance medical examinee. In each case, the use of this procedure generated the conclusion that the knowledge claimed to be forgotten was actually remembered; however, not all individuals were classified as malingerers.
Footnotes
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Dr. Frederick and Dr. Carter are affiliated with the Department of Psychology, U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, MO. Dr. Powel is affiliated with Behavioral Medicine Northwest, Seattle, WA. This paper was presented in part at the convention of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, Canada, August 1993. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the Federal of Prisons or the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Copyright © 1995, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
