Profile of Embedded Validity Indicators in Criminal Defendants with Verified Valid Neuropsychological Test Performance.

This article focuses on the evaluation of embedded validity indicators (EVIs) in forensic neuropsychological assessments of criminal defendants, examining their accuracy and relationship with intrapersonal variables. In a sample of 164 criminal defendants with verified valid test performance, half of the 16 examined EVIs—such as those embedded in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Digit Span Total, Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT-II) Commissions, Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) Logical Memory I and II, Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), Trail Making Test (TMT) Part B, and Stroop Word and Color—performed as intended, while the others showed higher false-positive rates. Regression analyses revealed that below-average intellectual functioning, history of moderate–severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodevelopmental disorders significantly increased the likelihood of scoring below EVI cutoffs despite valid performance, whereas histories of psychotic or substance use disorders did not. The findings suggest forensic practitioners should selectively use and interpret EVIs, especially in justice-involved individuals with cognitive impairments, to avoid misclassifying valid test performances as invalid.