Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 89 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-45).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005 / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 62 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-44 ).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Typescript. Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 122 pages. Includes Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis - College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. / Film 633 reel 13 is part of Research Publications Early American Medical Imprints collection (RP reel 13, no. 211). DNLM Includes bibliographical references.

To date there has been limited empirical exploration of the utility of behavior report form’s embedded symptom validity scales. The purpose of this study was to address this by examining the Conners - Third Edition (Conners 3) Parent Report Form’s ability to detect purposeful exaggeration of symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in an effort to obtain a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This was accomplished by using a malingering simulation experimental design whereby a group of parents, whose children did not have a diagnosis of ADHD, were entreated to simulate symptoms of ADHD on the Conners 3. Their simulated reports were then compared to the responses of parents whose children had a diagnosis of ADHD, as well as to the Conners 3’s normative sample. Results indicate that simulators, provided with information easily obtained from the internet and minimal coaching, were largely able to fabricate profiles indicative of ADHD. Furthermore, they were able to accomplish this ADHD without raising concern regarding the validity of the report based upon the Conners 3’s embedded symptom validity scales. While simulators did produce significantly more severe symptom elevations compared to the ADHD comparison group, their profiles were not so extreme as to aid in discriminating over-reporting. The ramification of these findings in the context of the need for stand-alone symptom validity testing is discussed.

The capacity of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and the Booklet Category Test (BCT) to discriminate between groups of brain-injured, simulated malingering, and normal participants was investigated in this study. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to examine the differences between groups categorized as sophisticated and naive fakers. Clinical decision rules and discriminant function analyses were utilized to identify malingerers. Clinical decision rules ranged in hit rates from 41% to 78%, in sensitivity from 2% to 100%, and in specificity from 86% to 100%. Discriminant functions ranged in hit rates from 81% to 86%, in sensitivity from 68% to 73% and in specificity from 82% to 87%. Overall, the least helpful detection method examined was below chance responding on either measure, while the most efficient was gross errors for SPM.

No description available.

The simulation of sickness intrigued British writers from the very beginning of the eighteenth century, attracting attention within a wide range of social spheres. Drawing upon texts from the fields of literature, medicine, theology, welfare policy, the military, and the law courts, this interdisciplinary thesis combines close textual analysis with an examination of social and cultural contexts in order to explain why the issue of feigned illness became such a prevalent and enduring source of debate in eighteenth-century Britain. Both the allure and the threat of simulated sickness lay in the ability of ill health to confer power upon the sufferer. On the one hand ill health might operate as a signifier of social or spiritual importance, yet sickness also functioned as a source of practical power, enabling emotional manipulation, exemption from social duties, and access to resources. The perceived benefits of ill health made the identification of simulated illness a matter of importance, yet the subject would not have attracted such attention were it not for prevailing doubts as to the legibility of the body. As this thesis indicates, the varied attitudes towards and representations of simulated sickness provide fascinating insights into the preoccupations of writers of different spheres and periods. Nevertheless, broader trends in attitudes towards bodily legibility and feigned illness are visible. Early eighteenth-century writers were generally wary of trusting external appearances, while the middle decades of the century were marked by an expression of faith in the natural legibility of the body, as demonstrated by the fashion for the literature of sensibility, acting through feeling, and the medico-literary rhetoric of nerves. Renewed scepticism towards the close of the century resulted in growing debates about the duty of medical practitioners to detect feigned illness, and the methods by which this might be accomplished. While the treatment of the subject evolved, its continued relevance highlights a sustained cultural preoccupation with the legibility of the body and its potential to mislead or even deceive, a subject that continued to fascinate writers to the very end of the eighteenth century.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Malingering is the intentional production or exaggeration of symptoms for personal gain in the context of external incentives. Due to the absence of objective symptoms, depression may represent a relatively attractive option for malingerers. Existing approaches to distinguish between depressive symptoms and possible malingering often use time-consuming psychometric tests or unreliable interview techniques. Short screening tests for malingering may be a practicable alternative and recently South African cut-off scores on tests for malingering were determined for a student sample. The purpose of this study was to establish South African cut-off scores for persons with a diagnosis of depression on screening instruments for malingering. Fifty-one subjects with a diagnosis of depression (measured by the Zung Depression Scale) were randomly ascribed to one of two groups: an experimental group of 25 subjects (instructed to simulate symptoms based on a malingering case scenario) and a control group of 26 subjects (instructed to do their best in the tests). No incentive was provided to the subjects. Each subject completed the 21-item verbal memory forced choice test (FCT), the Rey IS-item test (Rey IS-item), the dot-counting test (DCT), the Word Recognition test (WR) that is part of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Battery (ADAS-Cog) and the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS). The WR test correctly classified 74.5% of subjects with a sensitivity of 93%. The FCT, with a cut-off of> 15.5, correctly classified 72.5% of subjects. A regression equation was computed by combining the FCT, DCT and SIMS. This correctly classified 74.5% of patients with a sensitivity of 69%. The DCT accurately identified 64% of the malingerers using a cut-off score of> 65.57. The Rey15-item test showed poor results and does not seem to be useful as a screening instrument. The WR test shows promise as a screening instrument for malingering. Combining tests when screening for malingering proved to be an effective way to distinguish between malingering of depressive symptoms and real symptoms. The results of this study will help provide guidelines to mental health workers on how to diagnose malingering in patients with depression more objectively. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Malingering is die opsetlike nabootsing of oordrywing van simptome vir persoonlike gewin in die konteks van eksterne vergoeding. As gevolg van die subjektiewe aard van simptome, kan depressie 'n relatief aantreklike opsie wees wanneer psigiatriese kondisies gesimuleer word. Bestaande maniere om te onderskei tussen werklike depressiewe simptome en moontlike malingering, gebruik tydrowende psigometriese toetse of onbetroubare onderhoudstegnieke. Kort siftingstoetse vir malingering kan 'n praktiese altenatief wees en onlangse Suid-Afrikaanse afsnypunte op toetse vir malingering is bepaal vir 'n studentesteekproef. Die doel van hierdie studie was om Suid-Afrikaanse afsnypunte te verkry vir malingeringstoetse vir mense met 'n diagnose van depressie. Een en vyftig subjekte met 'n diagnose van depressie (gemeet deur die Zung Depressieskaal) is ewekansig toegewys aan een van twee groepe: 'n eksperimentele groep van 25 subjekte (met die opdrag om simptome te simuleer op grond van 'n malingering-scenario) en 'n kontrolegroep van 26 subjekte (met die opdrag om hulle bes te doen in die toetse). Geen vergoeding is aan proefpersone gebied nie. Elke subjek het die 21-item verbal memory forced choice test (FfC), die Rey 15-item test (Rey IS-item), die dot-counting test (DCT), die Word Recognition test (WR) wat deel vorm van die Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Battery (ADAS-Cog) en die Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) voltooi. Die WR het 74.5% van die subjekte korrek geklasifiseer met 'n sensitiwiteit van 93%. Die FCT, met 'n afsnypunt van <15.5, het 72.5% van die subjekte korrek geklassifiseer. 'n Regressie-vergelyking is bereken deur 'n kombinering van die FCT, DCT en SIMS. Dit het 74.5% van die subjekte korrek geklassifiseer met 'n sensitiwiteit van 69%. Die DeT kon 64% van die malingeerders akkuraat identifiseer deur gebruik te maak van 'n afsnypunt van> 65.57. Die Rey IS-item toets het swak resultate getoon en blyk nie bruikbaar te wees as 'n siftingstoets nie. Die WR toon potensiaal as In siftingstoets vir malingering. Die kombinering van toetse wanneer pasiënte gesif word vir malingering blyk 'n effektiewe manier te wees om te onderskei tussen die malingering van depressiewe simptome en werklike simptome. Die resultate van hierdie studie kan help om riglyne te skep vir geestesgesondheidswerkers oor hoe om malingering van depressie meer objektief te diagnoseer.

Due to increased concern about malingered self-report of symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in college students, there is a need for instruments that can detect feigning. The present study provided further validation data for a recently developed validity scale for the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS), the CAARS Infrequency Index (CII). The sample consisted of 139 undergraduate students; 21 individuals with diagnoses of ADHD, 29 individuals responding honestly, 54 individuals responding randomly (full or half), and 35 individuals assigned to malinger. The CII demonstrated modest sensitivity to malingering (.31-.46) and excellent specificity to ADHD (.91-.95). Sequential application of validity scales had correct classification rates of honest (93.1%), ADHD (81.0%), malingering (57.1%), half random (42.3%), and full random (92.9%).