The Role of Attentional Control in Deception While Under Cognitive Load

Abstract

We examined the association between attentional control and the ability to lie. After being tested for individual differences in attentional control, pairs of participants answered autobiographical questions truthfully and dishonestly while under high and low cognitive load, with one participant answering questions and the other participant detecting their answers for veracity. Lying ability was assessed by participants' reaction times and their ability to evade detection. We hypothesized that RTs would be associated with detection accuracy, that low relative to high attentional control would be associated with longer lie RTs, and that high attentional control would be associated with a better ability to evade detection when lying under high cognitive load. Results demonstrated that RTs were indeed associated with detection accuracy and that attentional control is associated with RTs when lying, but not with deception detection. Cognitive load was not associated with any of the variables. We discuss many future research directions.