Drawing what lies ahead: False intentions are more abstractly depicted than true intentions

• Published in: Applied cognitive psychology Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 518 - 522
• Main Authors: Calderon, Sofia, Mac Giolla, Erik, Ask, Karl, Granhag, Pär Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley 01.07.2018; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: abstractness; behavior; Cognitive Processes; construal level theory; Cues; Deception; detection tool; drawings as a deception detection tool; episodic future thought; Evaluation Methods; Evaluators; Freehand Drawing; Futures (of Society); Identification; Integrity; Intention; markers; Mental imagery; Prediction; probability; Psychology; Psykologi; Short Paper ‐ 5000 Words or Less; true and false intentions; drawings as a deception detection tool; construal level theory; true and false intentions; abstractness
• ISSN: 0888-4080; 1099-0720
• DOI: 10.1002/acp.3422

The aim of this study was to examine how people mentally represent and depict true and false statements about claimed future actions—so‐called true and false intentions. On the basis of construal level theory, which proposes that subjectively unlikely events are more ly represented than likely ones, we hypothesized that false intentions should be represented at a more level than true intentions. Fifty‐six hand drawings, produced by participants to describe mental images accompanying either true or false intentions, were rated on level of ness by a second set of participants (N = 117) blind to the veracity of the intentions. As predicted, drawings of false intentions were rated as more than drawings of true intentions. This result advances the use of drawing‐based deception detection techniques to the field of true and false intentions and highlights the potential for ness as a novel cue to deceit.