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Humans lack the ability to detect deceptive communication when it is present. This review examined several explanations for this state of affairs. Twenty years of research in deception has shown that there is not a reliable set of nonverbal or verbal indicators of deceptive communication. Moreover, human lie detectors' veracity judgments are often affected by cognitive biases and erroneous stereotypical information about how a prototypical liar should look. The current review also suggests that the inability to distinguish lies from truths may be a function of the decoding task presented to receivers in interpersonal communication. Receivers of deceptive communication must reject information they have already accepted, must draw inferences of another's underlying intent, and rarely receive any feedback with regard to their inferences. Additional factors that mediate lie detection accuracy are also reviewed. Finally, suggestions were made regarding how scholars should proceed with future research efforts in lie detection.
KEY CONCEPTS Lie detection, deception, lying, detection accuracy, nonverbal communication
Over twenty-five years of research in behavioral lie detection has yielded one consistent finding: humans are not very skilled at detecting when deception is present Lie detection rates usually range from 55% to 60% with detection rates as high as 75% in rare cases (e.g., deTurck, Harszlak, Bodhorn, & Texter, 1990). A quick glance of the literature would reinforce the conclusion that lie detection accuracy, while far from perfect, is slightly greater than would be expected by a flip of a coin (e.g., Cole, 1997; DePaulo & Pfeifer, 1986; DePaulo, Kirkendol, Tang, & O'Brien, 1988; DePaulo, Zuckerman, & Rosenthal, 1980; Feeley & deTurck, 1995,1997a; Kraut, 1980; Millar & Millar, 1995; Miller & Stiff, 1993; Stiff & Miller, 1986; Vrij, 1994).
Studies that investigate detection accuracy typically have individuals (i.e., college sophomores) judge the veracity of several communicators, half of whom are lying and the other half are telling the truth. Accuracy rates are determined by combining scores across communicators providing an index for each lie detector. For example, if I correctly identify two out of three truth tellers as truthful and one out of three liars as lying I would achieve 50% accuracy (truthful accuracy = 66%, deception accuracy = 33%). This "accuracy index" is then used as the dependent variable.
Recent research suggests...