The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) originated by Tombaugh in 1996. It is an actuarial assessment that is designed to anchor, support, and enhance clinical skills. In the acturial design, professionals are required to gather thorough and accurate information about the individual being tested. Thus assisting in developing a strong foundation for a client being tested. Through his literature review and research in neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, Tombaugh found that the best test to assist in the detection of memory malingering is a recognition test. Furthermore, his research found that any test designed to detect individuals who malinger symptoms, should include the following: The test should be sensitive to the feigning of memory deficits; it should be insensitive to the effects of demographic variables, neuropsychological disorders including traumatic brain injury, and affective disorders like depression; The percieved difficulty of the test should be greater than the actual difficulty of the test; It should have high face validity; It should be able to be used universally (Tombaugh, 2002). Therefore, Tombaugh constructed a 50-item recognition test designed for professionals to distinguish from people who truly have a memory impairment and those who are faking a memory loss for some type of compensation or financial gain (Rees, Tombaugh, Gansler, & Moczynski, 1998). The TOMM was validated over four years and a total of 636 participants. Normative testing was divided into 2 stages. In the first stage, the stimulus materials and an initial validation with a non-cognitively impaired sample was developed. In this stage 405 volunteers were administered the TOMM. The ages widely ranged from 16 to 84 years old (M=54.8, ...
... middle of paper ...
...pinion on the neuropsycholgists behalf. Other steps that should have been taken, was to norm his scores with his age population and interpret scores more cautiously to deem him results as accurate. Either way, the judge allowed the expert testimony under the Frye and Daubert standards. Both the Frye and Daubert criteria requires that the evidence contain empirical testing, is accepted by a large part of that scientific community, is published in peer-reviewed articles, and has a known error rate. In this case, although the TOMM was not used, the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (personality test) was used and accepted under the standards. Overall, The TOMM may be a useful instrument when used in collaboration with other tests that also test for malingering such as the MMPI 2 but may be questionable when used alone to conclude an opinion about malingering.
Roediger III, H. L., Watson, J. M., McDermott, K. B., & Gallo, D. A. (2001). Factors that determine false recall: A multiple regression analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 8(3), 385-407.
Two types of assessment procedures that are currently being used are the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB), and the Halstead Russell Neuropsychological Evaluation System (HRNES-R). The LNNB is used to diagnose cognitive deficits, while the HRNES-R indicates both the presence and degree of impairment. Both procedures involve tasks that require the patient to complete a series of functions that test abilities and/or perceptions. Such tasks would include, but are not limited to, problem solving, memory, sensorimotor functioning, and psychological/emotional status.
Sellbom, M., Toomey, J. A., Wygant, D. B., Kucharski, L. T., & Duncan, S. (2010). Utility of the MMPI-2-RF (restructured form) validity scales in detecting malingering in a criminal forensic setting: A known-groups design. Psychological Assessment,22(1), 22-31. doi:10.1037/a0018222
Jason Coleman meets the criteria for CD in DSM 4 TR: Axis 1, for CD with a specifier of 312.81 Childhood-onset type, severe; Axis II, v71.09, no diagnoses at this time of a personality disorder; Axis III, 799.9, refer to medical history and physician’s report on head injury; Axis IV client has Problems related to the social environment; Axis V GAF score of 31 (current) (American Psychiatric Association, 2008).
...in the diagnosis of histrionic and antisocial personality disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(2), 301-305.
Malingering is to exaggerate or feign illness to escape work. Research shows that defendants who are evaluated for competency to stand trial and are charged with a murder trial are more likely to malinger. It is logical that a defendant would want to deliberate feigning and exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms in order to avoid a negative outcome. A defendant’s competency to stand trial does not exclude them from being sentenced, either way, if incompetent, they are sent to be hospitalized in a mental institution. In most cases, defendants are competent to stand trial, whereas a little over ten percent are incompetent. If a defendant purposely caused the murder of another person, but suffers from schizophrenia, then they might be incompetent to stand trial. They would be hospitalized in a secure facility in the attempt to return them to competency. On the other hand, if an individual is not restorable to competency, then they would be
There are multiple criteria that come into play when determining a psychological disorder. One reason is because, it is hard to know for sure if an action is abnormal or not. Something could be abnormal in our country, but a custom in another.
Doctors need a sure way to diagnose the disease before treatment or studies can be done. The diagnosis is an autopsy of brain tissue examined under a microscope. In addition, medical history, a physical exam, and mental status tests are used for diagnosis (Posen, 1995). Often, tests are done to rule out other potential causes of the dementia. This allows the identification of other causes of thinking and behavioral changes to be made before concluding that the patient has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The tests that are requested to be done include CT and MRI scans to rule out strokes or brain tumors which could account for change in memory and behavior; thyroid and psychological tests which can also detect thinking and behavior problems (Posen, 1995).
Assessment,19(2), 176-186. doi:10.1177/1073191111428763 Sellbom, M., Toomey, J. A., Wygant, D. B., Kucharski, L. T., & Duncan, S. (2010). Utility of the MMPI-2-RF (restructured form) validity scales in detecting malingering in a criminal forensic setting: A known-groups design. Psychological Assessment,22(1), 22-31. doi:10.1037/a0018222.
...res of the psychopaths and gives the reader various examples of these individuals playing out these characteristics in everyday life. A widely used checklist is provided so the reader can get a wide spanning view of what is accounted for when scoring a psychopath. This form of research is very important within the deceitfulness of this population; it allows the professional to ignore their words and examine their actions. Hare made it clear that it is not uncommon for there to be an emotional and verbal disconnect from their actions. With virtually no emotional functioning psychopaths feel no remorse for the offenses that they commit and it is very important that we work towards using the opportunities we have to study and assist these populations; not only for them but for ourselves.
The horrible feeling of forgetting a coworker’s or an acquaintance’s name may be one of the most frustrating things a person can experience. This is a fact that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s face on a reoccurring basis. Loss of memory is a common part of the aging process and is sometimes referred to as dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is not reversible in this day and age. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s and in 2015 more than 5.1 million cases age 65 or older were reported (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The most startling statistic is that by 2050, 14 million Americans and 81 million worldwide cases are expected (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011). While dementia is a part of Alzheimer’s it also affects an afflicted patient ability to perform day to day tasks, increased mood swings, and in the later stages, the ability to even walk or care for themselves. This horrible disease
Have you ever been an eyewitness at the scene of a crime? If you were, do you think that you would be able to accurately describe, in precise detail, everything that happened and remember distinct features of the suspect? Many people believe that yes they would be able to remember anything from the events that would happen and the different features of the suspect. Some people, in fact, are so sure of themselves after witnessing an event such as this that they are able to testify that what they think they saw was indeed what they saw. However, using an eyewitness as a source of evidence can be risky and is rarely 100% accurate. This can be proven by the theory of the possibility of false memory formation and the question of whether or not a memory can lie.
Teplin, L. A., Abram, K. M., & McClelland, G. M. (1994). Does psychiatric disorder predict
Kendell, R. and Jablensky, A. (2003), Distinguishing between the validity and utility of psychiatric diagnoses, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 160, No. 1, pp. 4-12.
It was once the norm to associate a decline in one’s memory to be a part of typical aging. As it has been proven, a marked decline in cognition is an unexpected outcome of the aging process. A decline has actually been identified to be cause for concern and thus falls under the broad scope of dementia. One particular disease that falls under the umbrella of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This is an unfortunate disorder with a hallmark symptom of gradual, ongoing, neurological decline. The disease not only consumes a person’s short term memory but eventually the long term memory as well.