Ego Depletion and Time Pressure Promote Spontaneous Deception:An Event-Related Potential Study

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to explore the influence of ego depletion on spontaneous deception under time pressure. The Stroop Color-Word test was used to manipulate the participants' ego depletion in the experiment. A visual perception task was employed to assess the participants' deceptive tendency. The results indicated that the ego-depleted group was more prone to engaging deception and induced a larger P3 amplitude than did the nondepleted group. The no-time pressure group was more likely to deceive and induced a larger P3 amplitude than did the high-time pressure group. These results suggest that individuals with sufficient resources for self-control are more likely to resist temptation and less likely to engage in self-serving deception. Higher time pressure made subjects more likely to cheat. Deception is automatic and spontaneous under certain conditions. Ego depletion and high time pressure promote the occurrence of deception.