On the Use of Eye Movements in Symptom Validity Assessment of Feigned Schizophrenia



Ales, Francesca, Giromini, Luciano, Warmelink, Lara, Polden, Megan ORCID: 0000-0002-1813-0765, Wilcockson, Thomas, Kelly, Claire, Winters, Christina, Zennaro, Alessandro and Crawford, Trevor
(2023) On the Use of Eye Movements in Symptom Validity Assessment of Feigned Schizophrenia. PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY & LAW, 16 (1). pp. 83-97.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Assessing the credibility of reported mental health problems is critical in a variety of assessment situations, particularly in forensic contexts. Previous research has examined how the assessment of <jats:italic>performance validity</jats:italic> can be improved through the use of bio-behavioral measures (e.g., eye movements). To date, however, there is a paucity of literature on the use of eye tracking technology in assessing the validity of presented symptoms of schizophrenia, a disorder that is known to be associated with oculomotor abnormalities. Thus, we collected eye tracking data from 83 healthy individuals during the completion of the Inventory of Problems – 29 and investigated whether the oculomotor behavior of participants instructed to feign schizophrenia would differ from those of control participants asked to respond honestly. Results showed that feigners had a longer dwell time and a greater number of fixations in the feigning-keyed response options, regardless of whether they eventually endorsed those options (<jats:italic>d</jats:italic> &gt; 0.80). Implications on how eye tracking technology can deepen comprehension on simulation strategies are discussed, as well as the potential of investigating eye movements to advance the field of <jats:italic>symptom validity assessment</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Malingering, Schizophrenia, Symptom validity assessment, Eye movements
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 31 Jan 2023 16:19
Last Modified: 05 May 2023 15:46
DOI: 10.1007/s12207-022-09462-0
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-022-09462-0
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168035