No evidence for the utility of negative cues in a visual search-based concealed information test.

backgroundThe Concealed Information Test (CIT) is a widely used method for detecting whether individuals possess knowledge that they are trying to hide. This is typically assessed via physiological or behavioral indicators, such as reaction time. The present study examined whether inefficient visual search behaviorspecifically, slowing when participants are cued to ignore distractor features — can serve as a behavioral marker of concealed information, reflecting attentional capture and suppression processes. This approach was motivated by previous findings showing that cues associated with task-irrelevant items can impair visual search performance.

methodsExperiment 1 employed a visual search paradigm with distractor cues, based on previous negative cueing studies, to replicate their findings using object-based visual stimuli. Experiments 2 and 3 implemented a visual search–based concealed information test (CIT), in which the memorized and concealed item appeared as a distractor cue in the search display. Reaction times were recorded as the dependent measure.

resultsExperiment 1 confirmed that the use of distractor cues resulted in longer search times, suggesting inefficient visual processing. However, Experiments 2 and 3 revealed no significant differences in search performance between trials with and without concealed cues.

conclusionsAlthough visual search under distractor cueing was inefficient, it did not reliably reflect the presence of concealed information. The results suggest that attention to concealed items may be strategically suppressed or redirected, which undermines their detectability in reaction time-based visual searches. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating alternative markers, such as eye movements or physiological signals, to enhance CIT sensitivity in future research.