Neuropsychological Profiling of Symptom Exaggeration and Malingering

The theory of profile analysis is generally accepted as a basis for forming expert opinions about symptom exaggeration and malingering. Methods that rely on profile analysis are frequently the only ones that can be applied retrospectively to the interpretation of test results contained in case records. Profile patterns may well be more difficult to coach than external measures, and when combined with other methods offer a convenient source of convergent information about test validity. This paper reviews techniques for the identification of malingered head injury by analysis of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-3rd edition (Wechsler, 1997a), Halstead-Reitan Battery (Reitan & Wolfson, 1985), or Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (Wechsler, 1987) profile. These techniques lend themselves to the report of specific statements about the probability of malingering that are easily understood by the court and are likely to meet current standards for evidentiary reliability