Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Congruency Between Encoding and Testing Improves Detection of Concealed Memories

Ine Van der Cruyssen; Franziska Regnath; Gershon Ben-Shakhar; Yoni Pertzov; Bruno Verschuere

doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.03.001

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Congruency Between Encoding and Testing Improves Detection of Concealed Memories

Ine Van der Cruyssen^*, Franziska Regnath, Gershon Ben-Shakhar, Yoni Pertzov, Bruno Verschuere

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current study addressed modality effects in a web-based Concealed Information Test (CIT) by asking participants to encode, and later conceal, crime-related details. Items were encoded and tested verbally or pictorially. A pilot (N = 73) and a preregistered study (N = 158) showed a robust interaction between encoding and testing modality: Items that were encoded and tested in the same modality were associated with better detection. Moreover, recognition of verbally encoded items could not be detected in a pictorial test. Our findings support the existence of a modality-congruency effect when subjects try to conceal their knowledge. In applied scenarios, the modality of test items should be matched to the modality in which crime-related details were encoded. Furthermore, a pictorial CIT might protect informed innocents if leakage happened verbally.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	667-676
Number of pages	10
Journal	Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Volume	10
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.03.001
State	Published - Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by The Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation 20637.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors

Keywords

Concealed information test
Dual code
Memory
Modality
Picture superiority
Transfer-appropriate processing

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.03.001

Cite this

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title = "Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Congruency Between Encoding and Testing Improves Detection of Concealed Memories",

abstract = "The current study addressed modality effects in a web-based Concealed Information Test (CIT) by asking participants to encode, and later conceal, crime-related details. Items were encoded and tested verbally or pictorially. A pilot (N = 73) and a preregistered study (N = 158) showed a robust interaction between encoding and testing modality: Items that were encoded and tested in the same modality were associated with better detection. Moreover, recognition of verbally encoded items could not be detected in a pictorial test. Our findings support the existence of a modality-congruency effect when subjects try to conceal their knowledge. In applied scenarios, the modality of test items should be matched to the modality in which crime-related details were encoded. Furthermore, a pictorial CIT might protect informed innocents if leakage happened verbally.",

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note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by The Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation 20637. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors",

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AU - Regnath, Franziska

AU - Ben-Shakhar, Gershon

AU - Pertzov, Yoni

AU - Verschuere, Bruno

PY - 2021/12

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AB - The current study addressed modality effects in a web-based Concealed Information Test (CIT) by asking participants to encode, and later conceal, crime-related details. Items were encoded and tested verbally or pictorially. A pilot (N = 73) and a preregistered study (N = 158) showed a robust interaction between encoding and testing modality: Items that were encoded and tested in the same modality were associated with better detection. Moreover, recognition of verbally encoded items could not be detected in a pictorial test. Our findings support the existence of a modality-congruency effect when subjects try to conceal their knowledge. In applied scenarios, the modality of test items should be matched to the modality in which crime-related details were encoded. Furthermore, a pictorial CIT might protect informed innocents if leakage happened verbally.

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KW - Memory

KW - Modality

KW - Picture superiority

KW - Transfer-appropriate processing

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Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Congruency Between Encoding and Testing Improves Detection of Concealed Memories

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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