Specificity rates for non-clinical, bilingual, Mexican Americans with California Verbal Learning Test3, verbal fluency, and Rey 15-IR performance validity measures.

Objective: To measure failure rates among non-clinical, Mexican American, bilinguals on embedded performance validity measures from the California Verbal Learning Test3 and verbal fluency and the stand-alone Rey 15-item test plus recognition (Rey 15-IR) using valid/invalid performance cut scores developed for monolingual, English-speakers. Method: Participants were 60 consecutive recruits, aged between 18 and 75 years, with ≤16 years of education who self-identified as bilingual (confirmed via formal assessment) and chose the language of assessment, Spanish or English, for the performance validity tests. Results: The only performance validity measure studied with a higher failure rate (19%) than that for monolingual, English-speakers (9%) was semantic fluency administered in Spanish. Conclusions: Valid/invalid performance cut scores derived for monolingual English-speakers generated comparable or lower failure rates among Mexican American bilinguals on CVLT3 forced-choice recognition, CVLT3 yes-no recognition hits, letter fluency, semantic fluency in English, and the Rey 15-IR.

Specificity rates for non-clinical, bilingual, Mexican Americans on three popular performance validity measures.

OBJECTIVE: To measure specificity as failure rates for non-clinical, bilingual, Mexican Americans on three popular performance validity measures: (a) the language format Reliable Digit Span; (b) visual-perceptual format Test of Memory Malingering; and (c) visual-perceptual format Dot Counting, using optimal/suboptimal effort cut scores developed for monolingual, English-speakers. METHODS: Participants were 61 consecutive referrals, aged between 18 and 65 years, with <16 years of education who were subjectively bilingual (confirmed via formal assessment) and chose the language of assessment, Spanish or English, for the performance validity tests. RESULTS: Failure rates were 38% for Reliable Digit Span, 3% for the Test of Memory Malingering, and 7% for Dot Counting. For Reliable Digit Span, the failure rates for Spanish (46%) and English (31%) languages of administration did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal/suboptimal effort cut scores derived for monolingual English-speakers can be used with Spanish/English bilinguals when using the visual-perceptual format Test of Memory Malingering and Dot Counting. The high failure rate for Reliable Digit Span suggests it should not be used as a performance validity measure with Spanish/English bilinguals, irrespective of the language of test administration, Spanish or English.