Are brain-damaged patients inappropriately labeled as malingering using the 21-item test and the WMS-R logical memory forced choice recognition test?

This study examined the false positive hit rate of the 21-item Test and the WMS-R Logical Memory Forced Choice Recognition Test and compared the relat ionship between the measures in classifying biased responding/malingering. Of 40 patients referred for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, 18 were classified as brain-damaged based on independent neurological or neur oradiological examination. The remaining 22 patients could not be so classi fied on neurological of neuroradiological evidence and thus served as a med ical control group. Findings indicated the brain-damaged group performed mo re poorly than did the control group across measures, and both groups, on t he average, performed markedly better than that required to suggest biased responding. Also, taking both tests together, no individual patient aas cla ssified as malingering.