Lying behavior in adolescents with conduct disorder: An experimental study of the role of executive functioning

Abstract

Children with conduct disorder (CD) are often reported to engage in higher rates of lying compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. However, there is a paucity of experimental evidence exploring the specific characteristics and underlying mechanisms driving the propensity for lying in this population. To address these gaps, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between executive functioning (EF) and lying behavior in adolescents with CD compared to TD adolescents. To assess spontaneous lying for personal gain, we used a spot-the-differences task with adolescents aged 13 to 16 (N = 115). EF abilities—including cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory—were measured using the Trail Making Test, Color-Word Stroop Task, and Digit Span Test, respectively. We hypothesized that CD adolescents would lie more frequently for personal gain than TD adolescents. Additionally, we expected EF to negatively correlate with lying frequency in TD adolescents but positively correlate with lying frequency in CD adolescents. The results partially supported these hypotheses. While adolescents with CD did not lie significantly more often than TD adolescents, EF was differently related to lying frequency. Specifically, cognitive flexibility was positively associated with lying frequency in CD adolescents but was not significantly related to lying frequency in TD adolescents. Additionally, better inhibitory control was associated with less frequent lying across both groups. These findings provide new insights into the role of EF in adolescent dishonesty and suggest that EF may influence lying behavior differently in CD and TD populations.