The detection of individuals who are malingering psychological dysfunction has proven
to be a difficult task (Rogers, 1997). This study was conducted to investigate whether
response times on the Personality Assessment Inventory could differentiate among
asymptomatic controls (n = 15), clinically depressed individuals (n = 12), and a group
instructed to malinger depression (n = 19). Conventional responses and item response
latencies were recorded for the Negative Impression, Positive Impression, Depression -
Affective, Depression — Cognitive, and Depression - Physiological scales. Discriminant
function analyses revealed that conventional scores correctly classified 100% of the
controls, 91.7% o f the depressed, and 73.7% of the malingerers. Standardized response
latencies correctly classified 73.3% of controls, 58.3% of depressed, and 84.2% of
malingerers. Classification rates for raw response latencies were 73.3%, 50.0%, and
78.9% respectively. Finally, a new scale composed of items from the above subscales
maxim ally discrim inating malingerers from depressed individuals could correctly
classify 100% o f depressed and 91.7% of malingerers. These findings are consistent
with other research (Fekken & Holden, 1994) suggesting that response latencies might
provide meaningful information
