Assessing Differential Item Functioning Across Clinical and Community Samples in the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorVincent, John P.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberStewart, Ashley C.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberInman, Tonya
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHarris, Gerald E.
dc.creatorEagle, Mary-Madison
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-28T18:43:52Z
dc.date.available2015-08-28T18:43:52Z
dc.date.createdMay 2015
dc.date.issued2015-05
dc.date.updated2015-08-28T18:43:53Z
dc.description.abstractAssessment of malingering is a central component of forensic evaluations in criminal as well as civil litigation contexts. As such, there is a need for empirically sound measures of malingering to accurately identify individuals who may be feigning symptoms for personal gain. The detection of differential item functioning (DIF) using item response theory methods provides a powerful method of evaluating whether items on a malingering assessment measure function differently in civil versus criminal litigation contexts. The aim of the current study was to evaluate DIF based on litigation type in the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (Miller, 2011). The M-FAST was administered to a sample of criminal defendants at Arkansas State Hospital as well as an analogue sample of civil litigants comprised of undergraduates at a large public Southwestern university. Results indicated DIF for nine M-FAST items, with five of the items more easily endorsed by criminal litigants and four of the items more easily endorsed by civil litigants. Implications of these results for research and clinical assessment are discussed.
dc.description.departmentPsychology, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10657/1149
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectAssessments
dc.subjectItem response theory
dc.subjectMalingering
dc.subject.lcshClinical health psychology
dc.titleAssessing Differential Item Functioning Across Clinical and Community Samples in the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.departmentPsychology, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology, Clinical
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
EAGLE-DISSERTATION-2015.pdf
Size:
363.76 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
1.82 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Published ETD Collection