Detection of feigned recognition memory impairment using the old/new effect of the event-related potential

Twenty-four undergraduate university students with no known neurological di sorders completed the Recognition Memory Test (Warrington, A., 1984. Recogn ition Memory Test manual. Windsor, Berkshire: NFER-Nelson.) while event-rel ated potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Twelve subjects were instructed to fe ign a recognition memory deficit (malingering group), while the remainder s erved as controls. The malingerers performed poorly on the test compared to the control group. The 'old/new effect', an ERP measure thought to reflect recognition memory processes, did not differ between the groups, indicatin g recognition of previously learned material in the malingering group despi te poor test performance. The study also revealed a second, early, old/new effect, maximal at left frontal sites in the malingering relative to the co ntrol group, suggesting task-related processing differences between the two groups. These effects appear to be of potential value in the detection of malingering of cognitive impairment in the clinical situation. (C) 2000 Pub lished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.