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document
Simulating a memory impairment : can amnesics implicitly outperform simulators ? OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a variety of tests in differentiating simulating test performances from genuine memory-impaired and normal ( control ) test performances . DESIGN A simulation design was implemented , based on an analogue design in which normal participants were given experimental instructions to feign a mental impairment and are compared to ( a ) other normal participants with instructions to perform honestly , and ( b ) a comparison group , for example , acquired brain-injured persons , with similar instructions . METHOD Forty individuals comprised the simulating and control group and all participants were randomly assigned to the simulating and control groups . Twenty memory-impaired patients , all of whom had been diagnosed as suffering from a memory impairment following acquired brain damage , participated as the memory-impaired control group . The simulation group was directed to imitate a person with a memory impairment . The primary outcome measure involved identifying those tests , if any , where simulators were significantly different from normal and memory-impaired participants . RESULTS On 5 of the 15 tasks administered , simulators performed significantly differently from normal and memory-impaired participants . Of these 5 tasks , the coin-in-the-hand , when administered in conjunction with the autobiographical interview , identified 95 per cent of the simulators without misclassifying any of the memory-impaired or normal participants . CONCLUSION It is suggested that these two tests , when administered jointly , might be of use in clinical settings to assist in the detection of malingerers .
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Intervention_Educational
A simulation design
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Intervention_Educational
assigned to the simulating
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Intervention_Control
control groups
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Intervention_Educational
directed to imitate a person with a memory impairment
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Intervention_Educational
simulators
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Outcome_Other
effectiveness
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Outcome_Mental
simulating test performances
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Outcome_Mental
memory-impaired
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Outcome_Mental
identifying those tests , if any , where simulators were significantly different from normal and memory-impaired participants .
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Outcome_Mental
simulators performed significantly differently from normal and memory-impaired participants .
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Participant_Condition
amnesics
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Participant_Condition
memory-impaired
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Participant_Condition
acquired brain-injured
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Participant_Sample-size
Forty
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Participant_Sample-size
Twenty
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Participant_Condition
memory-impaired
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Participant_Condition
memory impairment
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Participant_Condition
acquired brain damage ,