Martha W. Wetter

Sensitivity of MMPI-2 validity scales to random responding and malingering.

This study explored the effects of both random responding and malingering on the validity scales of the MMPI-2 in an analog design using 4 groups of college students. One group completed the entire answer sheet randomly, a second group was instructed to malinger a moderate psychological disturbance, a third group was asked to simulate a severe disturbance, and a fourth group was given standard test instructions

Detection of underreporting of psychopathology on the MMPI: A meta-analysis

Abstract We reviewed the empirical literature on detection of underreporting of psychopathalogy on the MMPI. Meta-analytic techniques were applied to 25 studies in which subjects responding honestly were compared to subjects underreporting psychopathology. Several indices of underreporting were examined, including the L and K scales , F- K, L + K, social desirability scales, subtle/obvious scales, and the Positive Malingering scale. An overall mean effect size of 1.05 was obtained, suggesting that subjects underreporting psychopathology differ from subjects responding honestly by approximately 1 standard deviation, on the average, on these scales. The Positive Malingering scale and one of the social desirability scales showed promising effect sizes of approximately 1. 5 standard deviations. For the L and K scales, effect sizes of just under 1 standard deviation were noted. Cutting scores for detection of underreporting on these scales also were examined. A wide variety of cutting scores were employed in different studies, suggesting that consistently effective criteria have yet to be established. Applications of these findings to the recently published MMPI-2 are discussed .

Effects of Two Types of Information on Malingering of Closed Head Injury on the MMPI-2: An Analog Investigation.

The impact of detailed information on closed-head injury (CHI) and/or the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) validity scales on malingering of psychological symptoms of CHI on the MMPI-2 was investigated. In an analog investigation using college student Ss, experimental malingerers produced reliably different MMPI-2 protocols relative to controls answering honestly. Experimental malingerers were divided into 4 groups on the basis of the complete crossing of 2 factors: CHI information (present/absent) and MMPI-2 validity scale information (VAL; present/absent). No two-way interactions were noted, but main effects for both factors were found on several MMPI-2 clinical and validity scales

Overreporting of Closed-Head Injury Symptoms on the MMPI-2.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) validity scales were compared in 4 groups : nonclinical participants answering under standard instructions (n = 20), nonclinical participants instructed to fake closed-head injury (CHI) symptoms (n = 18), non-compensation-seeking CHI patients (n = 31), and compensation-seeking CHI patients (n = 30). The highest scores on MMPI-2 overreporting scales were obtained by nonclinical participants faking CHI, and significantly higher scores on these scales were obtained by compensation-seeking relative to non-compensation-seeking CHI patients. These results suggest that MMPI-2 overreporting scales are sensitive to fabrication of CHI complaints, and possibly to exaggeration of CHI complaints, although further research is necessary to evaluate the latter hypothesis fully.

Sensitivity of MMPI-2 Validity Scales to Underreporting of Symptoms.

Standard and supplementary scales designed to detect underreporting of symptoms on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (S. R. Hathaway & J. C. McKinley, 1983) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality inventory-2 (MMPI-2 ; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) were investigated in two groups of participants. Fifty individuals who completed the MMPI-2 under a fake-good instruction set were compared to 50 matched individuals who completed it under the standard instructions. Fake-good participants scored significantly higher than standard participants on all underreporting scales. Effect sizes showed that fake-good participants differed from standard participants by nearly 2 SD on the average. Hierarchical regression and discriminant function analyses suggested that two supplementary underreporting scales, J. S. Wigginss (1959) Social Desirability Scale and the Superlative Scale (J. N. Butcher & K. Han, 1993), have significant incremental validity over the traditional L and K scales in discriminating standard from underreported profiles.

Ethical considerations in research on coached malingering.

This article discusses ethical considerations for research on coached malingering on psychological tests. A fundamental tension exists between the desire of clinicians to know the extent to which commonly used tests such as the MMPI-2 are vulnerable to coached faking and the danger that such information will be used to improve the success of coached malingerers. Although it is important to make clinicians aware of a tests susceptibility to faking, care should be taken not to reveal details of successful coaching strategies. Several options for evaluating the balance between the ethical requirement to protect the integrity of psychological tests and the need for clinicians to know the vulnerability of the test to coached malingering are reviewed

Effects of Information About Validity Scales on Underreporting of Symptoms on the MMPI-2 An Analogue Investigation

The effects of two levels of information about the validity scales of the MMPI-2 on underreporting of symptoms were investigated in a college-student population. Subjects who were instructed and offered incentives to underreport were given no information, general information, or detailed information about the validity scales and were compared to a standard-control group. Results suggested that traditional and supplementary underreporting scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI-2) are effective in discriminating standard subjects from uncoached underre-porters, but are much less effective in discriminating standard subjects from subjects given either general or detailed information about the underreporting scales. The findings suggest that coaching may enable some subjects to underreport symptoms without detection, but that at least one scale (Wsd) shows promising resistance to coaching.

Faking Specific Disorders and Temporal Response Consistency on the MMPI-2.

The ability of persons faking posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or closed-head injury (CHI) to respond consistently across serial testings on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2 ; J. Butcher, W. Dahlstrom, J. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) was investigated. Results showed that individuals faking PTSD obtained 2-week test-retest reliability scores comparable to individuals completing the MMPI-2 with standard instructions ; individuals faking CHI obtained reliability coefficients significantly lower than individuals faking PTSD. A 3 X 2 (Response Style X Time) analysis of variance indicated that individuals faking a disorder obtained significantly elevated scores on validity scales sensitive to overreporting ; no main effect for time was found. Results suggest that test-takers faking specific disorders can describe symptoms consistently on repeated testing and that type of disorder may affect temporal response consistency.

Normative data for the F(p) scale of the MMPI-2: implications for clinical and forensic assessment of malingering.

Data from several clinical samples and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 standardization group are presented to familiarize the reader with response patterns of different groups on a new validity scale designed to assist in the identification of exaggeration or fabrication of psychological disturbance. Sensitivity-specificity analyses are included along with suggestions for use of the F(p) Scale with other validity scales. Cautions about setting single cutoff scores are also discussed.