Abstract
This study is one of the very few, and the most extensive to date, which has examined deceptive behavior in a real-life, high-stakes setting. The behavior of 16 suspects in their police interviews has been analyzed. Clips of video footage have been selected where other sources (reliable witness statements and forensic evidence) provide evidence that the suspect lied or told the truth. Truthful and deceptive behaviors were compared. The suspects blinked less frequently and made longer pauses during deceptive clips than during truthful clips. Eye contact was maintained equally for deceptive and truthful clips. These findings negate the popular belief amongst both laypersons and professional lie detectors (such as the police) that liars behave nervously by fidgeting and avoiding eye contact. However, large individual differences were present.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Akehurst, L., Köhnken, G., Vrij, A., & Bull, R. (1996). Lay persons' and police officers' beliefs regarding deceptive behaviour. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 10, 461-471.
Bagley, J., & Manelis, L. (1979). Effect of awareness of an indicator of cognitive load. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 49, 591-594.
Bauer, L. O., Strock, B. D., Goldstein, R., Stern, J. A., & Walrath, L. C. (1985). Auditory discrimination and the eyeblink. Psychophysiology, 22, 629-635.
Bell, K. L., & DePaulo, B.M. (1996). Liking and lying. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 18, 243-266.
Bond, C. F., & Fahey, W. E. (1987). False suspicion and the misinterpretation of deceit. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26, 41-46.
Davis, M., & Hadiks, D. (1995). Demeanor and credibility. Semiotica, 106, 5-54.
DePaulo, B. M. (1988). Nonverbal aspects of deception. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 12, 153-162.
DePaulo, B. M., & Kirkendol, S. E. (1989). The motivational impairment effect in the communication of deception. In J. C. Yuille (Ed.), Credibility assessment (pp. 51-70). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
DePaulo, B. M., Lanier, K., & Davis, T. (1983). Detecting deceit of the motivated liar. Journal ofPersonality and Social Psychology, 45, 1096-1103.
DePaulo, B. M., LeMay, C. S., & Epstein, J. A. (1991). Effects of importance of success and expectations for success on effectiveness at deceiving. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 14-24.
DePaulo, B. M., Lindsay, J. J., Malone, B. E., Muhlenbruck, L., Charlton, K., & Cooper, H. (2001). Cues to deception. Manuscript submitted for publication.
DePaulo, B. M., & Rosenthal, R. (1979). Telling lies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1713-1722.
DePaulo, B. M., Stone, J. I., & Lassiter, G. D. (1985a). Deceiving and detecting deceit. In B. R. Schlenker (Ed.), The self and social life (pp. 323-370). New York: McGraw-Hill.
DePaulo, B. M., Stone, J. I., & Lassiter, G. D. (1985b). Telling ingratiating lies: Effects of target sex and target attractiveness on verbal and nonverbal deceptive success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1191-1203.
deTurck, M. A., & Miller, G. R. (1985). Deception and arousal: Isolating the behavioral correlates of deception. Human Communication Research, 16, 603-620.
Ekman, P. (1989). Why lies fail and what behaviors betray a lie. In J. C. Yuille (Ed.), Credibility assessment (pp. 71-82). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Ekman, P. (1992). Telling lies: Clues to deceit in the marketplace, politics and marriage. New York: W. W. Norton.
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1972). Hand movements. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 22, 353-374.
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1974). Detecting deception from the body or face. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 288-298.
Ekman, P., Friesen, W. V., & O'Sullivan, M. (1988). Smiles when lying. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 414-420.
Ekman, P., O'Sullivan, M., Friesen, W. V., & Scherer, K. (1991). Face, voice, and body in detecting deceit. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 15, 125-135.
Frank, M. G., & Ekman, P. (1997). The ability to detect deceit generalizes across different types of highstake lies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1429-1439.
Goldman-Eisler, F. (1968). Psycholinguistics: Experiments in spontaneous speech. New York: Doubleday.
Harrigan, J. A., & O'Connell, D. M. (1996). Facial movements during anxiety states. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 205-212.
Hocking, J. E., & Leathers, D.G. (1980). Nonverbal indicators of deception:Anew theoretical perspective. Communication Monographs, 47, 119-131.
Höfer, E., Köhnken, G., Hanewinkel, R., & Bruhn, C. (1993). Diagnostik und attribution von glaubwurdigkeit (Final report to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, KO 8824-2, Kiel). Germany: University of Kiel.
Porter, S., & Yuille, J. C. (1996). The language of deceit: An investigation of the verbal cues to deception in the interrogation context. Law and Human Behavior, 20, 443-458.
Riggio, R. E., Tucker, J., & Throckmorton, B. (1988). Social skills and deception ability. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 268-577.
Tecce, J. J. (1992). Psychology, physiology and experimental. McGraw-Hill yearbook of science and technology (pp. 375-377). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Vrij, A. (1995). Behavioral correlates of deception in a simulated police interview. Journal of Psychology, 129, 15-28.
Vrij, A. (2000). Detecting lies and deceit: The psychology of lying and its implications for professional practice. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley.
Vrij, A., Akehurst, L., & Morris, P. (1997). Individual differences in hand movements during deception. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21, 87-103.
Vrij, A., Edward, K., & Bull, R. (2001a). People's insight into their own behavior and speech content while lying. British Journal of Psychology, 92, 373-389.
Vrij, A., Edward, K., & Bull, R. (2001b). Stereotypical verbal and nonverbal responses while deceiving others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 899-909.
Vrij, A., Edward, K., Roberts, K. P., & Bull, R. (2000). Detecting deceit via analysis of verbal and nonverbal behavior. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 24, 239-264.
Vrij, A., & Heaven, S. (1999). Vocal and verbal indicators of deception as a function of lie complexity. Psychology, Crime, and Law, 5, 203-215.
Vrij, A., & Holland, M. (1998). Individual differences in persistence in lying and experiences while deceiving. Communication Research Reports, 15, 299-308.
Vrij, A., & M ann, S. A. (2001). Telling and detecting lies in a high-stake situation: The case of a convicted murderer. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15, 187-203.
Vrij, A., & Semin, G. R. (1996). Lie experts' beliefs about nonverbal indicators of deception. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 20, 65-81.
Vrij, A., Semin, G. R., & Bull, R. (1996). Insight into behavior displayed during deception. Human Communication Research, 22, 544-562.
Vrij, A., & Winkel, F. W. (1991). Cultural patterns in Dutch and Surinam nonverbal behavior: An analysis of simulated police/citizen encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 15, 169-184.
Vrij, A., Winkel, F. W., & Akehurst, L. (1997). Police officers' incorrect beliefs about nonverbal indicators of deception and its consequences. In J. F. Nijboer & J. M. Reijntjes (Eds.), Proceedings of the first world conference on new trends in criminal investigation and evidence (pp. 221-238). Lelystad, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Vermande.
Wallbott, H. G., & Scherer, K. R. (1991). Stress specifics: Differential effects of coping style, gender, and type of stressor on automatic arousal, facial expression, and subjective feeling. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 147-156.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Mann, S., Vrij, A. & Bull, R. Suspects, Lies, and Videotape: An Analysis of Authentic High-Stake Liars. Law Hum Behav 26, 365–376 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015332606792
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015332606792