Assigning Qualitative Descriptions to Test Scores in Neuropsychology: Forensic Implications

Abstract

Board-certified neuropsychologists were surveyed and asked to assign a descriptive label (e.g., superior, average, normal, impaired) to 12 different standard scores (SS), from 50 to 130, of a memory test based on a brief case scenario. Surveys were returned by 49% (n = 110) of the target sample. The mean number of different classification labels assigned by participants to each of the 12 SS was 14 and ranged from 6 (for SS = 95) to 23 (for SS = 50). The mean percentages of participants who assigned the one or two most frequently used labels within each SS were 52.5% and 70.7%, respectively. Results revealed variable uniformity in assigning descriptive labels to specific standard scores, with significantly greater variability for SS in the lower half of the distribution and with applying impairment rather than normative labels. Professional and forensic implications are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Portions of this article were presented at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology in October 2005, in Tampa, FL.

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Psychology at Providence College and to Alin Sahverdiyan for her assistance in this project.

Notes

Percentages across the rows do not always equal 100 due to rounding. Qualitative descriptions refer to terms such as average, normal, impaired, etc. Due to missing data, the ns for each row range from 100 to 105.

Percentages across the rows do not always equal 100 due to rounding. Qualitative descriptions refer to terms such as average, normal, impaired, etc. Due to missing data or participants who do not conduct forensic evaluations, the ns for each row range from 90 to 94.

SS = Standard Score.

N = Normative descriptors; I = Impairment descriptors; E = Expectation descriptors.

SS = standard score, QD = qualitative descriptor.

SS = Standard Score; Wechsler descriptions based on Wechsler 1997a 1997b.