Cross-Cultural Performance Validity Testing: Managing False Positives in Examinees with Limited English Proficiency

Sami Ali; Iulia Crisan; Christopher A Abeare; Laszlo A Erdodi

doi:10.1080/87565641.2022.2105847

Cross-Cultural Performance Validity Testing: Managing False Positives in Examinees with Limited English Proficiency

Dev Neuropsychol. 2022 Sep;47(6):273-294. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2022.2105847. Epub 2022 Aug 19.

Authors

Sami Ali¹, Iulia Crisan², Christopher A Abeare¹, Laszlo A Erdodi¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Neuropsychology Track, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
² Department of Psychology, West University of Timişoara, Timişoara, Romania.

PMID: 35984309
DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2022.2105847

Abstract

Base rates of failure (BR_Fail) on performance validity tests (PVTs) were examined in university students with limited English proficiency (LEP). BR_Fail was calculated for several free-standing and embedded PVTs. All free-standing PVTs and certain embedded indicators were robust to LEP. However, LEP was associated with unacceptably high BR_Fail (20-50%) on several embedded PVTs with high levels of verbal mediation (even multivariate models of PVT could not contain BR_Fail). In conclusion, failing free-standing/dedicated PVTs cannot be attributed to LEP. However, the elevated BR_Fail on several embedded PVTs in university students suggest an unacceptably high overall risk of false positives associated with LEP.

MeSH terms

Cross-Cultural Comparison
Humans
Limited English Proficiency*
Neuropsychological Tests
Reproducibility of Results