Recent Developments in Deception Research

Abstract

Lying and deception are common human activities and may occur in a wide variety of clinical contexts. These behaviours implicate higher neural systems within the brains of humans and other primates. Recent functional neuroimaging studies suggest that prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices are particularly engaged during certain forms of deception, hence, that executive processes support deceit. Congruent with the latter position is the finding that lies take longer to execute than truthful responses. To date, no functional neuroimaging study has demonstrated brain regions exhibiting greater activation during truth telling (compared with lying). Although the latter may reflect a Type II error, it also supports the hypothesis that truthfulness comprises a relative baseline in human cognition and communication. Those psychiatric disorders particularly associated with the practice of deception are varied both in aetiology and the degree to which deceit is central to their conceptualisation. Nevertheless, the deceiving human is likely to be engaging components of their cognitive executive system, a proposal with implications for societal notions of responsibility and mitigation. A successful lie denotes a functioning executive. Keywords: deception, lying, evolution, neurophysiology, psychiatry, fmri, antisocial personality, munchausen syndrome, malingering