Validity Indicator Profile (VIP)

The Validity Indicator Profile (VIP) is a general assessment of response style designed to identify valid and invalid responding.   The VIP can be used as a validity indicator for concurrently administered tests.  It is given to subjects 18-69 years of age.   It takes approximately 1 hour to administer. The VIP is a well-validated, psychometrically sound test that provides empirical support regarding whether an individual is putting forth true effort while completing psychological testing and whether those test results should be considered representative of the individual’s true overall capacities.

OVERVIEW OF VALIDITY
When the VIP indicates that the test-taker’s approach to the assessment was valid, the clinician can generally have confidence that the individual intended to perform well on the test and made a concerted effort to do so.  In some cases, a finding of invalidity on the VIP indicates insufficient effort to respond correctly or suboptimal attention and concentration during testing.  In other instances, invalidity indicates a lack of cooperation, reflecting a deliberate attempt to perform poorly.

The administration of the VIP includes a verbal subtest and nonverbal subtest.  The results of the test show the subject’s efforts in four separate categories: Compliant, Careless, Irrelevant, and Malingered.

Compliant behaviors is characterized by high effort to perform well.  The test-taker is cooperative with the testing procedure, and his or her performance on the test is an accurate representation of his or her ability.

Inconsistent  response style is also characterized by motivation to perform well.  However, it differs from compliant behavior in that effort is careless or minimal.  A careless response style may be caused by inattention or distraction.

Irrelevant response style is characterized by an intention to perform poorly, but the test-taker may not apply enough sustained attention to the item content to fail.  His or her responses are not related to item content.  Irrelevant responding may be the result of variety of factors including apathy, lack of rapport with the test administrator, and confusion.  Random responding and pattern responding are included in this category.

Malingered response styles characterized by high effort to perform poorly.  The test taker tries to feign cognitive deficits in a convincing manner.

One important feature of the VIP is classification is independent of the ability of the test-taker.  An individual’s classification provides no information about his or her ability.  Each category can include test-takers whose abilities range from very low to very high.  This feature is central to the development of the VIP.