Perception: Deception

Question 1

Success in Detecting Lying

Answer 1

We are successful at labeling lies about 54% of the time –not much better than chance, (50%)

Harder to detect lies if we do not know someone – not familiar with normal behavior

Detection improvement is difficult due to lack of feedback from others, no real learning mechanism available outside of a laboratory

Cops seem to do a slightly better at detecting lies from felons

We seem to tolerate small lies in society, because confronting them leads to hostility and awkwardness

Question 2

Potentially Valid Lying Cues

Answer 2

Lying is more cognitively exhausting–revealed via micro-expressions

Distant verbiage

Less rich details

Smaller talking duration

Word and phrase repetition

Nervous/tense appearance

Higher tone

Chin risen (to potentially generate confidence)

Pressed lips

Fidgeting

Pupil dilation

Illustrators (liars make fewer arm and hand movements that are designed to modify and/or supplement what is being said verbally)

Question 3

Unreliable cues of lying

Answer 3

Pauses

Stutters

Postural shifts

Eye-contact

Looking left/right

Smiling – true smiles use eye muscles, but some can be trained to mimic this

Question 4

Who looks honest?

Answer 4

People who are:

actors

emotionally expressive

high dominance

creative
*Creativity and lying-ability are correlated in both directions

Question 5

Role of motivation in lying

Answer 5

Motivational impairment effect
*The more motivated one is, the greater the chance one will be caught, possibly due to anxiety

*More emotionally motivated to succeed is one’s downfall

We do better when we rely on intuition/unconscious processes and not overanalyzing