Classification accuracy of the event-related potentials-based Brain Fingerprinting and its robustness to direct-suppression and thought-substitution countermeasures

P300
Autobiography
Brain Fingerprinting
Countermeasures
Event-related potential
ERP
Investigation
Forensics
Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Electorencephalography
EEG
Concealed information test
Memory suppression
Think/No-think
T/NT
Suppression-induced forgetting

M. Usman Afzali, Richard D. Jones, Alex P. Seren-Grace, Robin W. Palmer, Dena Makarious, Mariana N. B. Rodrigues, and Ewald Neumann. (2023). Classification accuracy of the event-related potentials-based Brain Fingerprinting and its robustness to direct-suppression and thought-substitution countermeasures. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 37(3), 480–495, doi: 10.1002/acp.4050

Authors
Affiliations

M. Usman Afzali

University of Canterbury

Richard D. Jones

University of Canterbury, University of Otago, New Zealand Brain Research Institute

Alex P. Seren-Grace

University of Canterbury

Robin W. Palmer

University of Canterbury

Dena Makarious

University of Canterbury

Mariana N. B. Rodrigues

University of Canterbury

Ewald Neumann

University of Canterbury, New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain, and Behaviour

Published

February 2023

Doi

doi.org/10.1002/acp.4050

Abstract

Research on the accuracy of Brain Fingerprinting (BFP) has produced mixed outcomes: some report 99.9% and others report lower. Furthermore, no studies have measured the susceptibility of BFP to countermeasures. In Experiment-1, we report the accurate classification of 15 of the 16 subjects, tested on their own real-life autobiographical incidents; and 14 of the 15 other subjects, tested on another subject’s real-life autobiographical incidents. In Experiment-2, 16 subjects of Experiment-1, who were tested on their own real-life incidents, participated in the BFP test again, but this time employing either direct-suppression or thought-substitution (n = 8 each) countermeasures. We report that neither direct-suppression nor thought-substitution was effective at concealing information that BFP was designed to reveal. We assert that BFP is a highly accurate, albeit not perfect, concealed-knowledge detection technology and that it is resistant to memory suppression and thought substitution countermeasures in the context of autobiographical incidents.

Important figures

Figure 1: Paradigm figure of the Brain Fingerprinting experimental procedure

Figure 1: Paradigm figure of the Brain Fingerprinting experimental procedure

Figure 2: BFP Response Waveforms of S03 in “Canada Trip”, Experiment-1 (IP → IPC)

Figure 2: BFP Response Waveforms of S03 in “Canada Trip”, Experiment-1 (IP → IPC)

Figure 3: BFP Response Waveforms of S04 in “Canada Trip” Experiment-1 (IA → IAC)

Figure 3: BFP Response Waveforms of S04 in “Canada Trip” Experiment-1 (IA → IAC)

BibTeX citation

@article{afzali2023classification,
  title={Classification accuracy of the event-related potentials-based Brain Fingerprinting and its robustness to direct-suppression and thought-substitution countermeasures},
  author={Afzali, M Usman and Jones, Richard D and Seren-Grace, Alex P and Palmer, Robin W and Makarious, Dena and Rodrigues, Mariana NB and Neumann, Ewald},
  journal={Applied Cognitive Psychology},
  volume={37},
  number={3},
  pages={480--495},
  year={2023},
  publisher={Wiley Online Library}
}