title: Neural correlates of self-deception and impression-management.
abstract: Self-deception and impression-management comprise two types of deceptive, but generally socially acceptable behaviours, which are common in everyday life as well as being present in a number of psychiatric disorders. We sought to establish and dissociate the 'normal' brain substrates of self-deception and impression-management. Twenty healthy participants underwent fMRI scanning at 3T whilst completing the 'Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding' test under two conditions: 'fake good', giving the most desirable impression possible and 'fake bad' giving an undesirable impression. Impression-management scores were more malleable to manipulation via 'faking' than self-deception scores. Response times to self-deception questions and 'fake bad' instructions were significantly longer than to impression-management questions and 'fake good' instructions respectively. Self-deception and impression-management manipulation and 'faking bad' were associated with activation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC). Impression-management manipulation was additionally associated with activation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left posterior middle temporal gyrus. 'Faking bad' was additionally associated with activation of right vlPFC, left temporo-parietal junction and right cerebellum. There were no supra-threshold activations associated with 'faking good'. Our neuroimaging data suggest that manipulating self-deception and impression-management and more specifically 'faking bad' engages a common network comprising mPFC and left vlPFC. Shorter response times and lack of dissociable neural activations suggests that 'faking good', particularly when it comes to impression-management, may be our most practiced 'default' mode.
authors.affiliation: SCANLab (Sheffield Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory), Academic Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, The Longley Centre, Northern General Hospital, Norwood Grange Drive, Sheffield S5 7JT, UK. Electronic address: t.f.farrow@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tom F D
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Farrow
authors.affiliation: SCANLab (Sheffield Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory), Academic Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, The Longley Centre, Northern General Hospital, Norwood Grange Drive, Sheffield S5 7JT, UK. Electronic address: jenny_burgess@hotmail.co.uk.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, C-Floor, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK. Electronic address: i.d.wilkinson@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Iain D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: SCANLab (Sheffield Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory), Academic Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, The Longley Centre, Northern General Hospital, Norwood Grange Drive, Sheffield S5 7JT, UK. Electronic address: m.d.hunter@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Faking; Impression-management; Self-deception; fMRI