LIAR BEHAVIOR: VERBAL AND NONVERBAL

PERSPECTIVES

HOW IS LYING BEHAVIOR STUDIED?

• FAKED LYING– COUNTERATTITUDINAL LIES– COUNTERFACTUAL LIES

• “REAL” LYING– CHEATING & STEALING FORMATS– MOST LIES ARE NOT “MAJOR” &

GENERALLY PEOPLE ARE NOT AFRAID OF BEING CAUGHT

DIFFICULTIES IN IDENTIFYING LIAR BEHAVIOR

• NO SINGLE BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH LYING AND NOTHING ELSE

• DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIES (PREPARED OR NOT; LONG OR SHORT; ETC.) AND DIFFERENT MOTIVES (PROTECTING SELF; AVOIDING CONFLICT; WHITE LIES; ETC.) ARE LIKELY TO SHOW DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS

NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

• INITIALLY, NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR THOUGHT TO BE THE KEY TO IDENTIFYING LIAR BEHAVIOR BECAUSE IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE OUT OF OUR AWARENESS AND CONTROL

• NOW WE KNOW:– FACIAL MOVEMENT IS SUBJECT TO

CONSIDERABLE CONTROL, BUT MICRO EXPRESSIONS, FALSE SMILES, AND POOR TIMING MAY BE CLUES TO DECEIT

– FEET/HANDS/BODY ARE LESS UNDER CONSCIOUS CONTROL AND MAY SHOW MORE “LEAKAGE”

– LIARS MAY BE THE LEAST CONSCIOUS OF VOCAL SIGNALS

– ATTEMPTED CONTROL MAY RESULT IN OVERCOMPENSATION--E.G., EYE GAZE

MOTIVATIONAL IMPAIRMENT PROCESS

• THIS IS A THEORY (SUPPORTED BY SOME RESEARCH) WHICH ARGUES THAT THE MORE IMPORTANT THE LIE TO THE LIAR, THE GREATER THE CHANCES THAT IT CAN BE DETECTED FROM NONVERBAL CUES AND THE LESS LIKELY IT CAN BE DETECTED FROM VERBAL CUES

THE RESULTS OF META-ANALYSES OF ACTUAL

BEHAVIOR OF LIARS (COMPARED TO TRUTHTELLERS)

NONVERBAL

• LESS SMILING

• FAKE SMILING (NO USE OF LOWER EYELIDS)

• MORE SPEECH ERRORS

• MORE HESITATIONS DURING SPEECH

• LONGER LATENCY OF RESPONSE

• HIGHER PITCH

OTHER NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS WHICH COMMONLY OCCUR

• PUPIL DILATION• RAPID BLINKING• NERVOUS MANNERISMS• SHRUGS• IDIOSYNCRATIC SIGNALS--E.G.,

SWALLOWING/GULPING; RED NECK; ETC.

VERBAL BEHAVIOR

• LESS CONTENT--SHORTER RESPONSE LENGTH

• ALLNESS TERMS--E.G., ALL, EVERY, NONE, NOBODY, ALWAYS

• FEWER VERIFIABLE REFERENTS MENTIONED--NONSPECIFIC INFORMATION; VAGUE; ABSTRACT

• SLIPS OF THE TONGUE

LIES EMBEDDED IN CONVERSATIONAL ACTS

• LIES WHICH FULFILL THE NEED FOR ACCEPTANCE/AGREEMENT

• LIES WHICH DENY SELF-DEPRECATIONS

• LIES USED TO DEFUSE ANTICIPATED REJECTIONS

EQUIVOCATION

GENERAL FACTORS USED IN JUDGING THE

POSSIBILITY OF DECEPTIVE VERBAL BEHAVIOR

• PLAUSIBILITY

• CONCRETENESS

• CLARITY

• CONSISTENCY

COGNITIVE EMOTIONAL PROCESSES ASSOCIATED

WITH LIES

• LIMITED TO LIES IN WHICH THE LIAR KNOWS HE/SHE IS LYING AND PERCEIVES IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACT AND IS NOT A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR

• THE TWO MOST STUDIED– AROUSAL– COGNITIVE DIFFICULTY

• TWO OTHER PROCESSES WHICH LIARS MAY EXPERIENCE– ATTEMPTED CONTROL– AFFECTIVE STATES

• ANXIETY

• ANGER

• HAPPINESS (DURING DUPING DELIGHT)

• GUILT