by Glenn P. Smith, PhD
Professional Manual by Michelle R. Widows, PhD and Glenn P. Smith, PhD
Purpose: Screen for malingered psychopathology and cognitive symptoms
Age: 18 to 99 years
Admin: Self-report; Individual or group
Time: Admin:- 15 minutes Scoring Time:- 15 Minutes
Qualification Level: A
The SIMS is a 75-item, true-or-false screening instrument that assesses both malingered psychopathology and neuropsychological symptoms.
- Can be used as part of a battery of tests to provide convergent evidence of malingering.
- Recommended as part of a comprehensive approach to any evaluation in which alternative hypotheses for response patterns should be considered.
- Provides five scale domains—Psychosis, Low Intelligence, Neurologic Impairment, Affective Disorders, and Amnestic Disorders—as well as an overall score for probable malingering.
- Demonstrates sensitivity, specificity, and efficacy across both simulation and known-groups designs with honest responders, psychiatric patients, and clinical malingerers.
- Written at a 5th-grade reading level, the SIMS has demonstrated very good utility in identifying malingering across multiple studies
Software portfolio available
The SIMS-SP provides an Interpretive Report based on either an on-screen administration of the SIMS or hand-entry of an individual’s item responses or scale raw scores.
- On-screen administration of the SIMS-SP is simple and convenient, with step-by-step instructions to guide the respondent through the process. The software provides the option for the respondent to view and/or hear the instructions as well as each of the 75 items.
- Provides an overall score for likely feigning, along with scale scores within five SIMS domains, and interpretive text that discusses the likelihood of feigning based on the total score and the five scale domain scores.
Requirements
Windows: XP, Vista,7,8
Mac users: install Windows in Virtualbox or bootcamp
Prerequisites: NTFS file system; CD-ROM drive for installation; Internet connection or telephone for activation and counter update