Assessment of Noncredible Reporting and Responding

Invalid responding is an important consideration in mental health assessment. Given that most assessment data are gathered from self-report methods, accurate diagnostic and clinical impressions can be compromised by various forms of response bias. In this chapter, we review the ways in which evaluations of psychopathology, neurocognitive symptoms, and medical/somatic presentations can be compromised due to noncredible responding and invalidating test-taking approaches. We cover a variety of strategies and measures that have been developed to assess invalid responding. Further, we discuss evaluation contexts in which invalid responding is most likely to occur. We conclude with some remarks regarding cultural considerations as well as how technology can be incorporated into the assessment of response bias.