Effects of Standing Position on the Validity of the Concealed Information Test
Japanese Psychological Research
Published online on April 19, 2026
Abstract
["Japanese Psychological Research, EarlyView. ", "\nAbstract\nThe concealed information test (CIT) is an effective tool for detecting hidden crime information in suspects. In practice, the CIT assumes the examinee in a sitting position. However, a different posture, such as standing, can expand the applicability of the CIT. A different posture comes with physiological changes, but enables us to examine novel indices, such as body sway. We investigate how a sitting and a standing posture affect the CIT. We subjected participants to a mock crime‐like scenario, followed by a CIT examination while sitting and another CIT examination while standing on a force plate. Standing was associated with an increased baseline heart rate (HR), but there was no difference for skin conductance level. Skin conductance and HR could effectively detect concealed knowledge in both conditions. Body sway measures could not detect concealed knowledge better than chance, but exploratory analyses suggest further examination is warranted. We discuss the practical potential for extending the use of the CIT to the standing position and possible explanations for the null findings on body sway.\n"]