False memories and subsequent false testimonies

Abstract

In this review paper, an introduction to the concept of false memories is given and subsequently compared with the current state of affairs in the research on modern juridical deception. This covers the most widely-used techniques in the area of lie-detection: The Comparison Question Technique and the Guilty Knowledge Test. It then attempts to connect any cross-compatibility to the area of false testimonies and to give an explanation as to why and how this is the case. It is concluded that, in spite of a considerable amount of research, the knowledge that has been acquired over the course of decades is not yet sufficient to be adequately applied in the field, and that accurate detection of false testimonies through techniques resembling above-mentioned may be decades away.