Symptom validity testing of remote memory in a criminal forensic setting

Abstract

Symptom Validity Testing (SVT) has been used effectively with sensory perception and short-term memory. The procedure was recently adapted to assess remote memory for specific events. Memory for remote events is particularly important to the criminal justice system, and courts are beginning to draw on neuropsychology to assist in the assessment of claimed remote memory loss. This report discusses the importance of this objective technique to neuropsychologists involved with criminal courts and presents its use in three cases from the criminal forensic arena. Normative results for the three case study tests are presented and suggest the procedure is a robust version of SVT. Implications of these results are discussed.