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ChatGPT Helps Students Feign ADHD: An Analogue Study on AI-Assisted Coaching
This preregistered study aimed to assess whether AI-generated coaching helps students to successfully feign attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. First, based on questions generated by 22 students, we conducted an extensive ChatGPT query to develop a concise AI-generated information sheet designed to coach students in feigning ADHD during a clinical assessment. Second, we evaluated the effect of this coaching in an experimental analogue study in which 110 university students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) a control group (n = 42), (2) an ADHD symptom–coached simulation group (n = 35), and (3) an AI-coached simulation group (n = 33). All participants underwent a clinical neuropsychological assessment that included measures of ADHD symptoms, functional impairments, selective attention, and working memory. Our preregistered data analysis revealed that the AI-coached simulation group consistently moderated their symptom overreporting and cognitive underperformance compared to the symptom-coached group in small to medium size, resulting in lower detection sensitivity. We conclude that publicly accessible AI tools, such as current versions of chatbots, can provide clear and effective strategies for feigning ADHD during clinical neuropsychological assessments, posing a significant threat to the validity assessments. We recommend that researchers and clinicians exercise caution when sharing assessment materials, example items, and scoring methodologies.
A large body of evidence from extensive research over the past two decades on the clinical evaluation of adult ADHD highlights significant base rates (ranging from 9 to up to 27%) of symptom overreporting and cognitive underperformance as indicated by SVTs and PVTs (e.g., see Dong et al., 2023; Fuermaier et al., 2024a, b; Hirsch et al., 2022; Mascarenhas et al., 2023; Ovsiew et al., 2023; Phillips et al., 2023). These benefits can include extended time on exams or assignments, special accommodations or bursaries, access to stimulant medications, excuses for academic underperformance or unreliable behavior in social settings, and increased attention from peers (Dandachi-Fitzgerald et al., 2020; Fuermaier et al., 2021; Harrison, 2017; Rabiner, 2013). Recent research using an analogue design has shown that individuals can easily find key information about ADHD and assessment tools through online searches, including both written and video-based content, which could be a serious threat to test security (Winter & Braw, 2024).
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