The test of memory malingering (TOMM): Normative data from cognitively intact and cognitively impaired individuals

Four experiments were undertaken to validate the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM). In the first 3 experiments, the TOMM was administered to 475 community-dwelling individuals and 161 neurologically impaired patients (traumatic brain injury, aphasia, cognitive impairment, and dementia). Both clinical participants and community-dwelling adults achieved exceptionally high scores. A criterion score of 45 (90% correct) on the 2nd trial correctly classified 95% of all non-demented patients (91% of all patients) as not malingering. In a 4th experiment, the criterion score readily distinguished individuals who deliberately faked memory impairments from those who did not. The results from all 4 experiments show that the TOMM is relatively insensitive to genuine memory impairment and holds considerable promise for detecting exaggerated or deliberately faked memory impairment in clinical situations.