CVLT-3 response bias as an indicator of performance validity in a litigating population

Abstract

Objective:

This study examined the efficacy of CVLT-3 response bias (i.e., parametric and nonparametric response bias) indices in differentiating between a clinical sample with traumatic brain injury and a litigating sample with poor performance validity.

Method:

Participants included 106 individuals, divided into two groups: clinical group with TBI (n = 56) and a litigating group who demonstrated inadequate performance validity (n = 50), as measured by failure on at least two performance validity tests. Archival CVLT-II data was rescored utilizing the CVLT-3 scoring and normative data. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic discriminability of the two response bias indices.

Results:

Both parametric and nonparametric bias indices showed acceptable levels of diagnostic discrimination: AUC = .791 for parametric response bias and AUC = .753 for nonparametric response bias.

Conclusions:

Parametric response bias’ discrimination was statistically superior to the nonparametric responses bias’ discrimination. The CVLT-3 response bias score demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity when differentiating between individuals in a clinical sample with TBI and individuals in litigation who demonstrated inadequate performance validity.

Keywords:

• Embedded performance validity
• CVLT-3
• TBI
• response bias

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.