Effects of the type of stimulus employed and the level of subject awareness on the detection of deception

Abstract

COMPARED DETECTION OF PERSONAL MATERIAL WITH THAT OF NEUTRAL MATERIAL MADE RELEVANT ONLY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL CONTEXT. EACH OF 28 MALE UNDERGRADUATES ACTED AS AN ESPIONAGE AGENT TO CONCEAL PERSONAL IDENTITY AND CODE WORDS LEARNED. PERSONALLY RELEVANT MATERIAL WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DETECTABLE THAN THE NEUTRAL MATERIAL, ALTHOUGH CONSEQUENCES OF DETECTION WERE THE SAME. THE STUDY ALSO PROVIDED EXPLORATORY DATA CONCERNING PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSIVITY TO LIE-DETECTION STIMULI WHEN SS WERE UNAWARE THAT RESPONSES WERE BEING MONITORED. WHILE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT DETECTION WAS INFERIOR UNDER THE NONAWARE CONDITION, DIFFICULTIES IN ACHIEVING A COMPLETELY CONVINCING NONAWARE SITUATION SUGGEST CAUTION IN GENERALIZATION. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)