I lie because I am good at: psychopathic traits do not influence the effects of fabrication on memory

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies have shown that lying can detrimentally affect memory. For example, when people fabricate a false account, this fabrication can turn into a false memory. The current experiment aimed to examine whether the typical effects on memory due to fabrication depend on psychopathy traits. 232 participants completed the Personality Psychopathy Inventory-Revised and watched a mock crime video. Subsequently, participants had to imagine being interviewed as the main suspect of the crime by either telling the truth or lying about the crime. After one-week, all participants were instructed to tell the truth. Fabrication led to false memories. Specific psychopathy traits influenced the recall in that higher psychopathic traits were associated with worse event-related memory (i.e. less correct details and more memory errors). However, psychopathic traits did not intervene in the mnemonic effects of fabrication. Findings can be useful for legal practitioners who deal with statements’ reliability.