Date of Award

5-2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Julian Paul Keenan

Committee Member

Meredyth Krych-Appelbaum

Committee Member

Laura Lakusta

Abstract

The tendency to claim more knowledge than one actually has is common and well documented, however little research has focused on the neural mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. The goal of the present study was to investigate the cortical correlates of overclaiming. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was delivered to the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC), Supplementary Motor Area (SMA), and Precuneus during the presentation of a series of words that participants were told made up a Cultural I.Q. test. However, participants were not informed that 50% of the words were actually fabricated. False claiming was reduced following MPFC TMS. Furthermore, reaction time decreases following MPFC TMS indicated that participants engaged in less reflection during the task, suggesting a potential reduction in social monitoring of behavior.

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