Investigating Recognition Memory During a Line-Up Deception Task: An EEG Study
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2015-07-01
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en
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Abstract
This study investigated a new paradigm, combining previous findings of ERP line-up tasks
and deception studies, to get a better understanding of the neurocognitive mechanism
underlying recognition memory during a deception task. EEG measurements were recorded
to track the neural responses of the participants during a visual line-up task, while
participants both experienced a crime story from the victims’ viewpoint (i.e. tell the truth
about the crime scene) and the culprits’ viewpoint (i.e. deception of the police by lying about
the crimes scene). The behavioural findings demonstrate that reactions to fillers (neutral, not
crime-related stimuli) are much faster than to target stimuli (crime-related stimuli). The P300
findings were in line with previous research to lie detection and recognition memory, and was
influenced by the memory trace itself and not by revealing or not revealing this knowledge.
The results from the P400-600 and the FN400 showed that participants in the culprit
condition showed a consistent memory process of the made-up story, while suppressing the
memory of the actual crime scene. The frontal N2 showed a novelty effect that was
strengthened by lying, whereas the central N2 in contrast showed a target detection effect
that was weakened by lying. Finally, we looked at the ERP components associated with
response preparation (central response preparation component) and conflict monitoring
(response-locked P2). The response preparation component was observed to be strongest
when participants said they saw a crime-related stimulus (irrelevant of whether this was the
truth or a lie), whereas the conflict monitoring component was observed to be especially
present when participants concealed the knowledge of a crime-related stimulus. The
combination of components makes it probably possible to distinguish between the different
stimulus (‘target’ and ‘filler’) and response (‘lie’ and ‘truth’) conditions. This study provides
information about recognition memory in a deception study, and introduces a promising new
EEG paradigm.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen