Yet another approach is to ask numerous questions and, through sophisticated statistical methods, identify responses that discriminate between individuals trying to fake and those who have genuine psychopathology. One approach is simple: answers to some questions are so improbable that they cannot be founded in reality for example, 'Do you think trees have the ability to feel peoples’ emotions?' Another approach is to test performance by asking the client to perform tests that appear difficult but are actually so easy that virtually everyone who can function in society will pass them. They are questionnaires or performance-based tests. The remedy is easy enough, if the problem is properly understood. Indeed, in a substantial proportion of cases, SVTs misclassify honest responders as over-reporters or malingerers. Misplaced belief in the accuracy of these tests as they are administered and reported on can cause great mischief in fairly assessing the psychological status of litigants. SVTs and an associated interview usually take 4-6 hours – in one session.
In litigation, clients are often referred for psychometric assessment involving administration of a battery of Symptom Validity Assessment Tests (SVTs) to determine whether the client is over-reporting the extent/severity of their psychological symptoms. ‘He uses statistics like a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than illumination.’ Andrew Lang (1844-1912) Blog: Psychometric testing of malingering
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