Results from 344 college students and 129 psychiatric patients supported the effectiveness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) Infrequency scale in detecting fake-bad responding and the usefulness of the MMPI-2 Obvious-Subtle index, Positive Malingering scale, and Lie scale in detecting fake-good responding. (SLD)

Explored validity and potential use of Family-of-Origin Scale (FOS). Subjects included 100 adults currently in psychotherapy, 100 adults not in psychotherapy, 32 who had previously sought treatment, and 41 college students. The results showed that the FOS differentiated between patients and nonpatients, but it measured only one general factor and…

Using the Recognition Memory Test, Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, and the Knox Cube Test as markers for malingered memory deficits was studied with 100 university students, federal inmates, and patients with head injuries. Malingerers performed more poorly than injured patients on all three tests. (SLD)

A study investigated optimal length of screening tests used to sort out medical students needing to take a full-length performance-based standardized-patient test from those not needing it. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined a good length is one-third the full test, with cutoff just above the mean case pass level. (Author/MSE)

Scale discriminability was examined in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) with 151 college students and 60 depressed outpatients. The superior scale discriminability of the CES-D offers one explanation for its poorer specificity in college samples. (SLD)

A study involving 83 college students, 83 community residents, and 103 patients was conducted to establish cutoff scores on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IPP) (L. Horowitz and others, 1988) for judging clinically significant improvement in interpersonal functioning. The IPP could distinguish among students, patients, and an asymptomatic…

Large scale studies of the psychometric characteristics of standardized-patient clinical examinations are reviewed, and recommendations for test improvement are offered, including (1) assessment of history taking, physical examination, and communication skills separately from diagnostic and management skills; (2) a mastery-testing framework for…

A review (HE 528 450) of large-scale studies of the psychometric characteristics of standardized-patient clinical examinations is commended for its clarity, thoroughness, and relevance. Issues of reliability, validity, scoring, reporting, and use of the tests are discussed further. (MSE)

A study assessed the feasibility of sequential testing of medical students using standardized patients. Sequential testing passes students who score well on the first segment of the test thus eliminating additional student-standardized patient encounters. Subjects were six classes of Southern Illinois University students (n=404). Results strongly…

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate 11 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) indicators of response distortion using 343 college students, some of whom simulated malingering or defensive responding, 181 forensic psychiatric patients, and 95 other psychiatric patients. Results show the usefulness…

Nonparametric item response models were used to investigate psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory in 648 depressed outpatients and 1,182 nonpatient college students. Estimated values for some options did not align with a priori weights in the college sample, and some option characteristic curves were problematic in both samples.…

The Quality of Life Inventory, a measure of life satisfaction for psychological assessment and treatment planning, was evaluated with 54 inpatients, 54 recovering alcoholics, 18 private alcohol- and drug-treatment patients, 127 college counseling recipients, 272 undergraduates, and 19 criminal offenders. Results support the measures' psychometric…

A two-dimensional patient management problem test was designed to measure third-year optometry students' clinical competency at Pacific University (Oregon). Results suggest this evaluation method is valid and may be useful in identifying students needing to improve their clinical thinking skills. Some issues in test administration and scoring…