Abstract

Background

The feigning of cognitive impairment is common in neuropsychological assessments, especially in a medicolegal setting. The Word Memory Test (WMT) is a forced-choice recognition memory performance validity test (PVT) which is widely used to detect noncredible performance. Though translated to several languages, this was not done for one of the most common languages, Arabic. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the convergent validity of the Arabic adaptation of the WMT (WMT_ARB) among Israeli Arabic speakers.

Methods

We adapted the WMT to Arabic using the back-translation method and in accordance with relevant guidelines. We then randomly assigned healthy Arabic speaking adults (N = 63) to either a simulation or honest control condition. The participants then performed neuropsychological tests which included the WMT_ARB and the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), a well-validated nonverbal PVT.

Results

The WMT_ARB had high split-half reliability and its measures were significantly correlated with that of the TOMM (p < .001). High concordance was found in classification of participants using the WMT_ARB and TOMM (specificity = 94.29% and sensitivity = 100% using the conventional TOMM trial 2 cutoff as gold standard). As expected, simulators' accuracy on the WMT_ARB was significantly lower than that of honest controls. None of the demographic variables significantly correlated with WMT_ARB measures.

Conclusion

The WMT_ARB shows initial evidence of reliability and validity, emphasizing its potential use in the large population of Arabic speakers and universality in detecting noncredible performance. The findings, however, are preliminary and mandate validation in clinical settings.

中文翻译：

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阿拉伯语版本的单词记忆测试 (WMTARB) 的改编和初步验证

摘要

背景

假装认知障碍在神经心理学评估中很常见，尤其是在法医学环境中。单词记忆测试 (WMT) 是一种强制选择识别记忆性能有效性测试 (PVT)，广泛用于检测不可信的性能。虽然翻译成多种语言，但最常见的语言之一阿拉伯语并未这样做。本研究的目的是评估 WMT 阿拉伯语改编版本 (WMT _ARB ) 在以色列阿拉伯语使用者中的收敛有效性。

方法

我们使用反向翻译方法并根据相关指南将 WMT 改编为阿拉伯语。然后，我们将健康的讲阿拉伯语的成年人（N  = 63）随机分配到模拟或诚实控制条件。然后，参与者进行了神经心理学测试，其中包括 WMT _ARB和记忆欺诈测试 (TOMM)，这是一种经过充分验证的非语言 PVT。

结果

WMT _ARB具有较高的分半可靠性，其测量值与 TOMM 的测量值显着相关 ( p < .001)。在使用 WMT _ARB和 TOMM 对参与者进行分类时发现高度一致（特异性 = 94.29%，灵敏度 = 100%，使用常规 TOMM 试验 2 截止值作为金标准）。正如预期的那样，模拟器在 WMT _ARB上的准确度明显低于诚实控制的准确度。没有一个人口统计变量与 WMT _ARB措施显着相关。

结论

WMT _ARB显示了可靠性和有效性的初步证据，强调了其在大量阿拉伯语使用者中的潜在用途以及检测不可信性能的普遍性。然而，这些发现是初步的，需要在临床环境中进行验证。