What's on your mind? Recent advances in memory detection using the concealed information test

Lie detectors can be applied in a wide variety of settings. But this advantage comes with a considerable cost: False positives. The applicability of the Concealed Information Test (CIT) is More limited, yet when it can be applied, the risk of false accusations can be set a priori at a very low level. The CIT assesses the recognition of; critical information that is known only by the examiners and the culprit, for example, the face a an accomplice. Large effects are Obtained with the CIT, whether combined with peripheral, brain, or Motor responses. We see three important challenges for the CIT. First, the false negative rate Of the CIT can be substantial, particularly under :realistic circumstantes. A possible solution Seems to restrict the CIT to highly Salient details. Second, there exist effective faking strategies. Future research will tell whether faking can be detected or even prevented (e.g., Using Overt measures). Third, recognition of critical crime detail's does not necessarily result from criminal activity. It is therefore important to properly embed the CIT in the investigative process, While taking care when drawing conclusions from the test outcome (recognition, not guilt)

Diagnostic value of the Dutch version of the MCclean Screening instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) often goes unrecognized, and therefore a short but accurate screening tool is desired. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the 10-item McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD) in 159 well-diagnosed female participants. The MSI-BPD showed excellent internal consistency (alpha = .90). When compared to BPD diagnoses based on a structured clinical interview (SCID-II), the MSI-BPD showed substantial congruent validity (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve = 0.96). The cutoff point proposed by the developers of the MSI-BPD (7 or more) showed high specificity (.96) and good sensitivity (.71). The optimal cutoff point in the present study (5 or more) showed somewhat lower specificity (.86), but importantly better sensitivity (.94). Taken together, the Dutch version of the MSI-BPD demonstrated good psychometric properties for a screening tool

Lying relies on the truth

Cognitive models of deception focus on the conflict-inducing nature of the truth activation during lying. Here we tested the counterintuitive hypothesis that the truth can also serve a functional role in the act of lying. More specifically, we examined whether the construction of a lie can involve a two-step process, where the first step entails activating the truth, based upon which a lie response can be formulated in a second step. To investigate this hypothesis, we tried to capture the covert truth activation in a reaction-time based deception paradigm. Together with each question, we presented either the truth or lie response as distractors. If lying depends on the covert activation of the truth, deceptive responses would thus be facilitated by truth distractors relative to lie distractors. Our results indeed revealed such a "covert congruency" effect, both in errors and reaction times (Experiment 1). Moreover, stimulating participants to use the distractor information by increasing the proportion of truth distractor trials enlarged the "covert congruency" effects, and as such confirmed that the effects operate at a covert response level (Experiment 2). Our findings lend support to the idea that lying relies on a first step of truth telling, and call for a shift in theoretical thinking that highlights both the functional and interfering properties of the truth activation in the lying process

Examining psychopathy from an attachment perspective: the role of fear of rejection and abandonment

A key feature of psychopathy, a self-centered orientation towards others and a failure to truly connect, is poorly understood. The attachment framework can be used to examine underlying interpersonal mechanisms. Because of the overall failure to connect, we anticipated, and found, in a large undergraduate sample (n=1074) that both affective-interpersonal traits and impulsive-irresponsible psychopathy facets were positively related to attachment avoidance. Different dynamics may underlie this distancing from others, as evidenced by the fact that callous-unemotionality was negatively related to attachment anxiety, whereas grandiose-manipulative and impulsive-irresponsible traits were positively related to attachment anxiety. Although effect sizes were small and are of correlational nature, our results are in line with a dual deficit model that differential developmental trajectories, largely heritable callousness vs. neglecting and abusive parenting, may lead to adult psychopathy. The differentiating role of fear of rejection and abandonment for the psychopathy construct is discussed

The Dutch version of the McLean Screening Instrument for borderline personality disorder (MSI-BPD)

Objective: Borderline personality disorder is a severe and disabling condition, with suicide rates up to 10%. A simple and valid screening instrument for borderline symptomatology would be of great use. Method: We translated the McLean Screening Instrument for borderline personality disorder (MSI-BPD) in Dutch and present initial validation data from a sample of 459 (mostly female) undergraduates. Results: Principal component analysis indicated that a single component underlies variability in the 10 items of the MSI-BPD. Internal consistency was adequate (alpha=.76), and test-retest reliability in a subsample as high (ca 4 months: r=.80). Females scored significantly higher than males. Finally, the MSI-BPD correlated strongly (r=.62) with depression as assessed by the BDI-II-NL. Conclusions: These data provide initial support for the reliability and the validity of the Dutch MSI-BPD, yet application in clinical practice requires information on the diagnostic agreement with a validated structured clinical interview

The truth comes naturally! Does it?

Does the truth come naturally? And by implication, does this mean that a lie may not come as naturally as the truth? Truth-Default Theory and the Information Manipulation Theory 2 diverge in their opinion on whether people's natural response is to lie or tell the truth. In line with Truth-Default Theory, cognitive psychology research supports the notion that the truth is the default in human communication. Information Manipulation Theory 2 holds that lying may come as naturally as, or even more naturally than, truth telling, and recent social psychology research supports this possibility. We suggest that motivation may explain the divergence between the two theories and the two lines of research. We raise the hypothesis that truth telling may be the natural response absent clear motivations to lie (hence, most human communication) and that lying may prevail as the automatic reaction when it brings about important self-profit. We hope that this hypothesis will stimulate new research that will allow for bridging the theoretical and empirical findings that seem discrepant at first and show when the truth (vs. the lie) comes naturally

Memory detection 2.0: the first web-based memory detection test

There is accumulating evidence that reaction times (RTs) can be used to detect recognition of critical (e.g., crime) information. A limitation of this research base is its reliance upon small samples (average n = 24), and indications of publication bias. To advance RT-based memory detection, we report upon the development of the first web-based memory detection test. Participants in this research (Study1: n = 255; Study2: n = 262) tried to hide 2 high salient (birthday, country of origin) and 2 low salient (favourite colour, favourite animal) autobiographical details. RTs allowed to detect concealed autobiographical information, and this, as predicted, more successfully so than error rates, and for high salient than for low salient items. While much remains to be learned, memory detection 2.0 seems to offer an interesting new platform to efficiently and validly conduct RT-based memory detection research

Return of fear after retrospective inferences about the absence of an unconditioned stimulus during extinction

We examined whether the effect of an extinction phase can be influenced retrospectively by information about the cause of the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (US) during that phase. Participants were subjected to a differential fear conditioning procedure, followed by an extinction procedure. Afterwards, half of the participants were presented with information about a technical failure, which explained why the US had been absent during the extinction phase. The other participants received information that was unrelated to the US. During a subsequent presentation of the target conditioned stimulus (CS), only the former group of participants showed renewed anticipatory skin conductance responding and a return of US expectancy. The results are in accordance with a propositional account of associative learning and highlight the importance of retrospective reasoning as a cause of relapse after exposure therapy