The relationship between P300 based GKT and Machiavellianism in a High Stake Situation
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1
Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea
Over the past few decades, a wide range of techniques have been developed to assist in lie detection. One well-known technique is the P300-based guilty knowledge test (GKT; Abootalebi. et al., 2006). It differs from a polygraph, which measures autonomic responses associated with the emotional stress of lying. Instead, the P300-based GKT measures the brain itself, the organ that produces lying. As such, the P300-based GKT may be able to detect lies told by those who feel little guilt or anxiety during deception. However, to our knowledge, there has been no research on the relationship between deceptive personality types (e.g., psychopaths) and the P300-based GKT. Therefore, this study examines the efficacy of the P300-based GKT among those who are particularly manipulative. Also, the external validity of the P300-based GKT has been questioned because previous experimental tests have not had significant consequences associated with lying. Therefore, we sought to create a highly realistic experimental situation by manipulating monetary compensation and by conducting the experiment in the recording room of the forensic science division at the Supreme Court prosecutors’ office (the national law enforcement agency of Korea). Methods Forty-four participants were informed that Guilty and Innocent groups would be paid incentives of $50 and $15, respectively, if they were able to prove themselves innocent. They were also told that the Guilty group would be taken their cell phone away if they failed to prove their innocence. Considering these consequences, participants chose whether to lie (Guilty group) or not (Innocent group). When they arrived at the laboratory, participants completed the Machiavellianism Scale (20 items; Christie & Geis, 1970). Those who chose to be Guilty then committed a mock crime (stealing $110 and a credit card), whereas the Innocent had to complete several other tasks (e.g., watering a plant). The GKT was administered after the mock crime (or other tasks). EEG was measured in a recording room using a Laxtha LXE3208 EEG monitoring device. Analysis was confined to site Pz. Results and Discussion The Guilty group had a significantly higher Machiavellianism score than the innocent group, F(1,35)=9.586, p<.01. This result shows Machiavellian individuals’ preference for deception. Also, the P300 amplitude for the guilty knowledge probe was greater in the Guilty group than the Innocent group. F (2,28)=3.544, p<.05 For the Innocent group, the probe and irrelevant P300 amplitudes were similar, (Fig. 1). These results show that the P300-based GKT effectively detects guilt when stakes are realistically high, even when the Guilty participants showed high Machiavellianism. This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government (MOST) (No. M10740030003-07N4003-00310).
References
1. Abootalebi, V., Moradi, M. H., & Khalilzadeh, M. A. (2006). A comparison of methods for ERP assessment in a P300-based GKT. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 62, 309-320.
Conference:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Türkiye, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Decision Making and Response Selection
Citation:
Jung
K and
Lee
J
(2008). The relationship between P300 based GKT and Machiavellianism in a High Stake Situation.
Conference Abstract:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.197
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Received:
08 Dec 2008;
Published Online:
08 Dec 2008.
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Correspondence:
Kyu Hee Jung, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, sweetkiwij@gmail.com