Psych Central News
Suppression of Incriminating Memories Can Beat Lie-Detector Tests
Law enforcement agencies use the tests, which are based on the idea that criminals will have stored specific memories of their crime.
Once presented with reminders of their crime in a guilt detection test, it is assumed that the criminal’s brain will automatically and uncontrollably recognize these details, with the test recording the brain’s “guilty” response.
In the new research, psychologists at the universities of Kent, Magdeburg and Cambridge, and the Medical Research Council, proved that some people can intentionally and voluntarily suppress unwanted memories.
This ability to control brain activity, thereby suppress or even abolishes brain activity related to remembering.
Researchers conducted a series of experiments in which people who conducted a mock crime were later tested on their crime recognition while having their electrical brain activity measured.
Investigators found that when asked to suppress their crime memories, a significant proportion of people managed to reduce their brain’s recognition response and appear innocent.
Experts say that this finding has major implications for brain activity guilt detection tests. We now understand that those using memory detection tests should not assume that brain activity is outside voluntary control.
Furthermore, any conclusions drawn on the basis of these tests need to acknowledge that it might be possible for suspects to intentionally suppress their memories of a crime and evade detection.
Zara Bergstrom, Ph.D., principal investigator on the research, said: “Brain activity guilt detection tests are promoted as accurate and reliable measures for establishing criminal culpability.
“Our research has shown that this assumption is not always justified. Using these types of tests to say that someone is innocent of a crime is not valid because it could just be the case that the suspect has managed to hide their crime memories.”
However, not everyone can beat the test, and more research is necessary to determine test validity.
Michael Anderson, Ph.D., a senior scientist at Cambridge, said his group is presently trying to understand such individual differences with brain imaging.
Jon Simons, Ph.D., of Cambridge, added: “Our findings would suggest that the use of most brain activity guilt detection tests in legal settings could be of limited value.
“Of course, there could be situations where it is impossible to beat a memory detection test, and we are not saying that all tests are flawed, just that the tests are not necessarily as good as some people claim. More research is also needed to understand whether the results of this research work in real-life crime detection.”
Source: University of Cambridge
Abstract of the human mind photo by shutterstock.
Career Advancement Tied to Work Passion
The new Brigham Young University business study revealed that employees who are “true believers” in the mission of their organization are more likely to increase in status and influence than non-believers.
“Many organizations today have a well-defined mission with enduring principles that matter, not only to employees, but to other stakeholders,” said John Bingham, Ph.D., BYU professor of organizational leadership and strategy.
“It’s a shift from the old paradigm. In these companies, it’s less about who you know.”
Patagonia, Whole Foods Market, The Body Shop and Intel are a few well-known mission-based companies that may fit the mold.
The study found those who exhibit a strong belief in a brand’s mission or cause become more influential in important company circles, while those simply focused on punching the clock become more peripheral players – regardless of formal company position or overall performance.
For the study, which appears online in management journal Organization Science, Bingham and his colleagues surveyed employees at organizations with mission-based cultures.
One of those organizations was an outdoor footwear manufacturer founded on principles of environmental sustainability that engages in several green policies, such as subsidizing employees who ride bikes to work and buying electricity generated by wind power.
“Those who were true believers in this company’s cause were considered idea leaders and influenced how other employees viewed their work,” Bingham said. “If the mission is a legitimate part of an organization’s identity, that tends to be the case.”
Past research looking at status in a company has focused on the personal traits of individuals – height, gender, race – and structural factors, such as the formal positions one occupies.
Bingham believe that while those factors are influential in many companies, a new workforce includes individuals who are passionate about causes and are looking for employers that both “do good and do well.”
He and his colleagues are now testing how much of a pay cut executives at top public companies are willing to take to work for a socially responsible firm.
“Having a mission-based organization has great potential to recruit and retain talent,” Bingham said. “But it has to be legitimate. If top management doesn’t believe it or is simply using it as a ploy, it doesn’t work.”
Source: Brigham Young University
Happy worker serving drinks photo by shutterstock.
0 comments:
Post a Comment