This episode covers the issue of test security in neuropsychology. Topics covered include forensic neuropsychology, the potential harm of breaches to test security, how clients or patients may invalidate cognitive test scores, the role of attorney coaching, ways in which test security can be breached (and methods to prevent breaches), teleneuropsychology and test security, guidance from the APA Ethics Code, relevant position statements, the role of test publishers, training psychometrists and research assistants, important legal precedent and case law, protective orders, how to respond to subpoenas, and other related topics.
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Guest disclosures: Dr. Boone receives royalties from Western Psychological Services for her role as a test developer.
Resource
APA Ethics Code Task Force (comment on the upcoming revision)
About Kyle
Kyle Brauer Boone, Ph.D., ABPP-ABCN, is currently in private practice in Torrance, California. She served as director of the Neuropsychology Testing Service at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center from 1986 to 2008, and from 1997 to 2008 she was a tenured professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA. From 2008 until 2016 she was a full professor within the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles in the area of neuropsychological assessment, primarily regarding the development and validation of neurocognitive performance validity tests, and also has authored/co-authored/edited seven books, the most recent of which, a second edition of Assessment of Feigned Cognitive Impairment: A Neuropsychology Perspective, was released in 2021. She has also served as first author on two position papers related to psychological/neuropsychological test security: the 2022 Official Position of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology on Test Security, and the 2024 Interorganizational Practice Committee position paper (“Attorney demands for protected psychological test information: Is access necessary for cross examination or does it lead to misinformation?”). She is board certified in clinical neuropsychology (ABPP/ABCN), served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology until January of 2024, and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. She also was the 2020 recipient of the Ralph M. Reitan Award for Clinical Excellence (2020) from the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and in 2023 received the Distinguished Service Award to the Profession of Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP).
References
Bilder, R. M., Postal, K. S., Barisa, M., Aase, D. M., Cullum, C. M., Gillaspy, S. R., … & Woodhouse, J. (2020). InterOrganizational practice committee recommendations/guidance for teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 34(7-8), 1314-1334.
Boone, K. B., Kaufmann, P. M., Sweet, J. J., Leatherberry, D., Beattey, R. A., Silva, D., Victor, T. L., Boone, R. P., Spector, J., Hebben, N., Hanks, R. A., & James, J. (2024). Attorney demands for protected psychological test information: Is access necessary for cross examination or does it lead to misinformation? An interorganizational* position paper. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 38(4), 889–906. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2024.2323222
Boone, K. B., Sweet, J. J., Byrd, D. A., Denney, R. L., Hanks, R. A., Kaufmann, P. M., Kirkwood, M. W., Larrabee, G. J., Marcopulos, B. A., Morgan, J. E., Paltzer, J. Y., Mindt, M. R., Schroeder, R. W., Sim, A. H., & Suhr, J. A. (2022). Official position of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology on test security. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 36(3), 523–545. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.2022214
Chafetz, M. D., Williams, M. A., Ben-Porath, Y. S., Bianchini, K. J., Boone, K. B., Kirkwood, M. W., Larrabee, G. J., & Ord, J. S. (2015). Official Position of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Social Security Administration Policy on Validity Testing: Guidance and Recommendations for Change. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 29(6), 723–740. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2015.1099738
Corey, D. M., & Ben-Porath, Y. S. (2020). Practical guidance on the use of the MMPI instruments in remote psychological testing. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 51(3), 199–204. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000329
Glen, T., Barisa, M., Ready, R., Peck, E., & Spencer, T. R. (2021). Update on Third Party Observers in Neuropsychological Evaluation: An Interorganizational Position Paper. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 35(6), 1107–1116. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1901992
Heilbronner, R. L., Sweet, J. J., Morgan, J. E., Larrabee, G. J., Millis, S. R., & Participants, N. C. (2009). American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Consensus Conference Statement on the Neuropsychological Assessment of Effort, Response Bias, and Malingering. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 23(7), 1093–1129. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854040903155063
Kaufmann, P. M. (2009). Protecting Raw Data and Psychological Tests from Wrongful Disclosure: A Primer on the Law and Other Persuasive Strategies. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 23(7), 1130–1159. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854040903107809
Postal, K. S., Bilder, R. M., Lanca, M., Aase, D. M., Barisa, M., Holland, A. A., … & Salinas, C. (2021). InterOrganizational practice committee guidance/recommendation for models of care during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 35(1), 81-98.
Sweet, J. J., Boone, K. B., Denney, R. L., Hebben, N., Marcopulos, B. A., Morgan, J. E., Nelson, N. W., & Westerveld, M. (2022). Forensic neuropsychology: History and current status. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 37(3), 459–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2022.2078740
Sweet, J. J., Heilbronner, R. L., Morgan, J. E., Larrabee, G. J., Rohling, M. L., Boone, K. B., Kirkwood, M. W., Schroeder, R. W., & Suhr, J. A. (2021). American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) 2021 consensus statement on validity assessment: Update of the 2009 AACN consensus conference statement on neuropsychological assessment of effort, response bias, and malingering. The Clinical Neuropsychologist/Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section D, the Clinical Neuropsychologist, 35(6), 1053–1106. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1896036
