An exploratory study of the convergent validity of the Test of Effort (TOE) in adults with acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT

Primary Objective

To examine the convergent validity of the Test of Effort (TOE), a performance validity test (PVT) currently under development that employs a two-subtest (one verbal, one visual), forced-choice recognition memory format.

Research Design

A descriptive, correlational design was employed to describe performance on the TOE and examine the convergent validity between the TOE and comparison measures.

Methods and Procedures

A sample of 53 individuals with chronic acquired brain injury (ABI) were administered the TOE and three well-validated PVTs (Reliable Digit Span [RDS], Test of Memory Malingering [TOMM] and Dot Counting Test [DCT]).

Main Outcomes and Results

The TOE appeared more difficult than it actually was, suggesting adequate face validity. Medium-to-large correlations were observed between the TOE and established PVTs, suggesting good convergent validity. Provisional cutoff scores are offered based on performance of a subgroup of participants with “sufficient effort.”

Conclusions

Overall, the TOE shows promise as a PVT measure for clinical use. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples are needed to more fully determine the psychometric characteristics of the TOE.

KEYWORDS:

• Performance validity
• effort
• acquired brain injury
• neuropsychological testing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

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