Patterns of malingering and compliance in measures of interrogative suggestibility

This study aimed to compare indicators of malingering with those of compliance on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS 1). It was hypothesised that participants issued with instructions either to appear susceptible to leading questions or to comply with an interviewer’s perceived requirements would show unique patterns of GSS scores, allowing them to be differentiated from each other, and from a control group. The study had a single-factor between participants design. Participants were tested in one of three conditions: Misled, Compliant, or Standard instructions. Sixty-six participants took part in the study. Results indicated unique patterns of scoring in all three conditions; all three groups were distinguishable from each other. Results support previous studies which indicate that some patterns of malingering may be identifiable on the GSS. However, compliant responding may not be readily distinguishable from genuine vulnerability. Results are discussed in terms of the theoretical distinction between suggestibility and compliance.