Assessing the validity of memory complaints: performance of brain-damaged and normal individuals on Rey's task to detect malingering

Abstract

Rey (1964) proposed a brief screening test to assess the validity of memory complaints and hypothesized that the ease of the task would mislead malingerers to perform more poorly even than persons with impaired memory due to brain injury. Lezak (1983) suggested cut-offs, but only one empirical report on Rey's task could be located in the literature. That study by Goldberg and Miller (1986) supported Lezak's cut-offs; however, the criterion groups were psychiatric and mentally retarded inpatients. In the present study, Rey's test, along with other neuropsychological tests designed to determine various types of memory dysfunction, was administered to brain-damaged (n = 18) and comparison (n = 16) groups. The results again generally supported Lezak's cut-offs.