Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 13082

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
Interests: cognitive approaches to verbal lie detection

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Interests: deception detection; interviewing; investigative psychology

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Guest Editor
School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
Interests: visual neuroscience; social neuroscience; neuroimaging methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Originally, the detection of lying was arousal-based: Truth tellers and lie tellers were thought to differ in experiencing arousal and deception could therefore be detected by measuring arousal. The last 20 years has seen a paradigm shift, at least amongst researchers, to cognitive-based lie detection: Truth tellers and lie tellers are thought to differ in cognitive processing and the strategies they employ in interviews to appear convincing. This Special Issue focuses on cognitive-based lie detection. Both theoretical and empirical papers are welcome, focusing on observing behaviour, analysing speech content, measuring physiological responses and measuring brain activity.   

Prof. Dr. Aldert Vrij
Prof. Dr. Pär Anders Granhag
Dr. Giorgio Ganis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Deception
  • Lie detection
  • Cognitive approaches
  • Verbal cues to deception
  • Nonverbal cues to deception
  • Brain activity and deception

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 590 KiB  
Article
Effects of Mood on Psychophysiological Detection of Concealed Information and the Relation to Self-Assessed Lying Ability
by Eitan Elaad and Liza Zvi
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(2), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020291 - 09 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1428
Abstract
The present study examined the effects of mood on physiological responses in the Concealed Information polygraph Test and the relation to self-assessed lying ability. One hundred and eight undergraduate students self-assessed their lie-telling ability, committed a mock theft, and were asked to conceal [...] Read more.
The present study examined the effects of mood on physiological responses in the Concealed Information polygraph Test and the relation to self-assessed lying ability. One hundred and eight undergraduate students self-assessed their lie-telling ability, committed a mock theft, and were asked to conceal information related to the crime. Participants were then divided into three equal groups: two groups were asked to provide a detailed written account of either a happy or sad event in order to induce a happy or sad mood, while the third group served as a neutral group. Participants then underwent a polygraph test and were asked to try to avoid detection. An induced happy or sad mood tended to lower relative skin conductance responses to critical (crime related) items and enhance relative cardiovascular responses. Relative respiration responses to critical items obtained for the sad mood condition were more robust than the ones obtained for the happy mood condition. Under induced sad and happy moods, those who self-rated their lie-telling ability as high showed enhanced cardiovascular responsivity to critical items. These results were limited to the initial phase of the test. We discussed possible motivational explanations and implications for the Concealed Information polygraph test. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research)
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20 pages, 371 KiB  
Article
Verbal Lie Detection: Its Past, Present and Future
by Aldert Vrij, Pär Anders Granhag, Tzachi Ashkenazi, Giorgio Ganis, Sharon Leal and Ronald P. Fisher
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(12), 1644; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121644 - 01 Dec 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6249
Abstract
This article provides an overview of verbal lie detection research. This type of research began in the 1970s with examining the relationship between deception and specific words. We briefly review this initial research. In the late 1980s, Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) emerged, a [...] Read more.
This article provides an overview of verbal lie detection research. This type of research began in the 1970s with examining the relationship between deception and specific words. We briefly review this initial research. In the late 1980s, Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) emerged, a veracity assessment tool containing a list of verbal criteria. This was followed by Reality Monitoring (RM) and Scientific Content Analysis (SCAN), two other veracity assessment tools that contain lists of verbal criteria. We discuss their contents, theoretical rationales, and ability to identify truths and lies. We also discuss similarities and differences between CBCA, RM, and SCAN. In the mid 2000s, ‘Interviewing to deception’ emerged, with the goal of developing specific interview protocols aimed at enhancing or eliciting verbal veracity cues. We outline the four most widely researched interview protocols to date: the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE), Verifiability Approach (VA), Cognitive Credibility Assessment (CCA), and Reality Interviewing (RI). We briefly discuss the working of these protocols, their theoretical rationales and empirical support, as well as the similarities and differences between them. We conclude this article with elaborating on how neuroscientists can inform and improve verbal lie detection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research)
16 pages, 324 KiB  
Article
The Model Sketch for Enhancing Lie Detection and Eliciting Information
by Haneen Deeb, Aldert Vrij, Sharon Leal, Samantha Mann and Jennifer Burkhardt
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(9), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12091180 - 02 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1395
Abstract
Background: Sketching while narrating is an effective interview technique for eliciting information and cues to deceit. The current research examined the effects of introducing a Model Sketch in investigative interviews andis pre-registered on https://osf.io/kz9mc (accessed on 18 January 2022). Methods: Participants (N [...] Read more.
Background: Sketching while narrating is an effective interview technique for eliciting information and cues to deceit. The current research examined the effects of introducing a Model Sketch in investigative interviews andis pre-registered on https://osf.io/kz9mc (accessed on 18 January 2022). Methods: Participants (N = 163) completed a mock mission and were asked to tell the truth or to lie about it in an interview. In Phase 1 of the interview, participants provided either a free recall (control condition), sketched and narrated with exposure to a Model Sketch (Model Sketch-present condition), or sketched and narrated without exposure to a Model Sketch (Model Sketch-absent condition). In Phase 2, all participants provided a free recall without sketching. Results: Truth tellers reported significantly more information than lie tellers. The Model Sketch elicited more location details than a Free recall in Phase 1 and more veracity differences than the other Modality conditions in Phase 2. Conclusion: The Model Sketch seems to enhance the elicitation of information and to have carryover veracity effects in a follow-up free recall. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research)

Review

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16 pages, 806 KiB  
Review
The Role of Cognition in Dishonest Behavior
by Adrián Muñoz García, Beatriz Gil-Gómez de Liaño and David Pascual-Ezama
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(3), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030394 - 24 Feb 2023
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Abstract
Dishonesty has received increased attention from many professionals in recent years for its relevance in many social areas such as finance and psychology, among others. Understanding the mechanisms underlying dishonesty and the channels in which dishonesty operates could enable the detection and even [...] Read more.
Dishonesty has received increased attention from many professionals in recent years for its relevance in many social areas such as finance and psychology, among others. Understanding the mechanisms underlying dishonesty and the channels in which dishonesty operates could enable the detection and even prevention of dishonest behavior. However, the study of dishonesty is a challenging endeavor; dishonesty is a complex behavior because it imposes a psychological and cognitive burden. The study of this burden has fostered a new research trend that focuses on cognition’s role in dishonesty. This paper reviews the theoretical aspects of how such cognitive processes modulate dishonest behavior. We will pay special attention to executive functions such as inhibitory processes, working memory, or set-shifting that may modulate the decision to be (dis)honest. We also account for some frameworks in cognitive and social psychology that may help understand dishonesty, such as the Theory of Mind, the role of creative processes, and discourse analyses within language studies. Finally, we will discuss some specific cognitive-based models that integrate cognitive mechanisms to explain dishonesty. We show that cognition and dishonest behavior are firmly related and that there are several important milestones to reach in the future to advance the understanding of dishonesty in our society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research)
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Other

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7 pages, 205 KiB  
Opinion
Meta-Research Perspectives on Verbal Lie Detection
by Galit Nahari
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(3), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030392 - 24 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1309
Abstract
Verbal lie detection (VLD) research, conducted mainly in the cognitive sciences, examines content-based indicators that differ between truth-tellers and lie-tellers. Following the meta-research approach (examination of the research itself), the current paper aimed to ascertain the current status of VLD research across three [...] Read more.
Verbal lie detection (VLD) research, conducted mainly in the cognitive sciences, examines content-based indicators that differ between truth-tellers and lie-tellers. Following the meta-research approach (examination of the research itself), the current paper aimed to ascertain the current status of VLD research across three components: the search for VLD indicators, VLD coding, and VLD research tracks. It highlights several issues that challenge VLD research; these are discussed, along with suggestions for how to address them. This scrutiny may contribute to a further advancement of the field of VLD research and, as a result, an improvement of VLD practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive Approaches to Deception Research)
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