Abstract
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate possible indicators of malingering or ‘faking bad’ on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales. It was hypothesized that participants who were issued with a set of instructions that primed them to appear gullible and susceptible to pressure would exhibit a unique pattern of scores on the scales that would differentiate them from both normal adults and genuinely vulnerable populations.
Methods: The study had a single factor between participants design. Participants were tested in either one of two conditions: standard or faking. Forty-two participants took part in the study. Participants were a mix of undergraduates, postgraduate students, and professionals.
Results: Only Yield 1 scores were found to be significantly different between the two conditions. Participants in the faking condition gained higher scores on this measure on both the GSS 1 and GSS 2.
Conclusions: Results indicate that whilst fakers may identify the need to yield to leading questions as a strategy for faking interrogative suggestibility, they do not identify the need to make shifts in their responses. An elevated Yield 1 score in the absence of any other raised scores on the scales may therefore be indicative of faking bad on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales.
Methods: The study had a single factor between participants design. Participants were tested in either one of two conditions: standard or faking. Forty-two participants took part in the study. Participants were a mix of undergraduates, postgraduate students, and professionals.
Results: Only Yield 1 scores were found to be significantly different between the two conditions. Participants in the faking condition gained higher scores on this measure on both the GSS 1 and GSS 2.
Conclusions: Results indicate that whilst fakers may identify the need to yield to leading questions as a strategy for faking interrogative suggestibility, they do not identify the need to make shifts in their responses. An elevated Yield 1 score in the absence of any other raised scores on the scales may therefore be indicative of faking bad on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 219-225 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Legal and Criminological Psychology |
| Volume | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- interrogative suggestiblity
- interview techniques
- Gudjonsson suggestibility scales.
