You can’t hide your Lyin’ Eyes: Eye tracking Measures and Feigning

1. You can’t hide your Lyin’ Eyes: Eye tracking Measures and Feigning Danielle M. Ploetz, Martin L. Rohling, Michelle N. Lankey, & Melissa N. Womble Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688 Results The number of saccades & fixations were less for the genuine compared to the feigning condition (p = .0002 & .0003, respectively). Time duration per word-set was less (p < .0001) for the genuine condition. Fixation duration was longer in the feigning condition (p = .0004). Using eye measurements alone, S’s were correctly classified at 72% (sense. = .69, spec. = .75, PPV = .73, NPV = .71). Purpose The study goal was to see if eye movements might aid in the causal determination of cognitive impairment versus feigning while taking the Word Memory Test (WMT; Green, 2003). Hypotheses S’s in the feigning condition will have higher saccades & fixations than S’s in the genuine condition. S’s in the feigning condition will have longer fixation durations than S’s in the genuine condition. S’s in the feigning condition will have longer dwell time than those in the genuine condition. Discussion Eye movements while engaged in the WMT predicted feigned vs. genuine performance. It may be helpful to examine this data in terms of added predictive ability in conjunction with the WMT. Future eye tracking research involving subjects in real-world conditions with documented disorders, such as TBI or PTSD, may help to ascertain if patients’ are performing to the best of their ability. Method There were 31 psychology undergraduates who participated, 7 males and 24 females, M age 20.8 (SD= 4.8). Race of S’s: 65% Caucasian, 16% African American, 16% Asian, and 3% other. S’s wore an EyeLink II head piece to record eye movements. The WMT was administered via computer per the User Manual. In the feigned condition, S’s were given a scenario in which they were asked to pretend that they were in a law suit after a car accident. They were to “trick” the examiner into believing they were memory impaired. ANOVA RESULTS OF EYE TRACKING MEASURES Percents of Overall Total Eye Tracking Measures Predictive Values Special thanks to Dr. Mark Yates for the use of his lab and assistance with the EyeLink program. Citation: Ploetz, D. M., Rohling, M. L., Lankey, M., & Womble, M. N. (2010, October). You can’t hide your Lyin’ Eyes: Eye tracking Measures and Feigning. Poster presented at the 38th Annual NAN Conference Vancouver, BC. E-mail Addresses: danielle.ploetz@gmail.com and mrohling@usouthal.edu