MMPI-2 validity scores in defense- versus plaintiff-selected examinations: a repeated measures study of examiner effects

Abstract

The effects of forensic examiner role on validity scores have rarely been studied empirically. We used a repeated measures design to examine the association between examiner role (plaintiff- and defense-selected neuropsychologists) and scores on eight Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2 validity scores (MMPI-2-VRIN, -TRIN, -L, -K, -F, -Fb, -Fp, and -FBS) of the same 80 individuals. All 80 were involved in litigation following mostly minor neurological injuries. We found no significant within-group differences on any of the MMPI-2 validity scales. Concordance of pass/fail rates between examinations was above 80%, except for MMPI-2-Fb. For example, the Symptom Validity Scale (MMPI-2-FBS) showed equivalently high failure rates (70%) during both examinations. This study does not support the view that examiner role affects symptom validity scores in forensic settings.