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Jiménez-González AI, Masip J, Blandón-Gitlin I, Herrero C. "It wasn't me, check the cameras!" Suspects' apparent verifiable responses might not indicate innocence. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2023; 41:504-525. [PMID: 38032248 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The verifiability of a suspect's alibi is often interpreted as a sign of innocence. Because the police resources are limited, verifiability could be used to dismiss suspects of minor offenses. We examined whether alibi verifiability actually indicates innocence for minor crimes. In Experiment 1, participants imagined they were guilty or innocent suspects of minor crimes and selected a response to convince the police of their innocence. Compared to innocent suspects, guilty suspects were more likely to select pseudo-verifiable responses (which seemed verifiable but were not) rather than non-verifiable responses. Experiment 2 revealed that pseudo-verifiable responses increased observers' perceptions of innocence (rather than guilt). Experiment 3 suggested that people infer the police will not verify alibis of minor crimes, which may lead people to invent pseudo-verifiable responses. These results indicate that apparent verifiability does not necessarily indicate innocence. The police should systematically test alternative hypotheses whenever they encounter apparent verifiable responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaume Masip
- Department of Social Psychology and Anthropology, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Iris Blandón-Gitlin
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA
| | - Carmen Herrero
- Department of Social Psychology and Anthropology, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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Sergi I, Mottola F, Gnisci A, Caso L, Palena N. The role of individual features of memory and impulsiveness in telling a true or false story in a realistic, clear, and reconstructible way. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1173219. [PMID: 37484114 PMCID: PMC10357284 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1173219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective The aim of the present study was to explore whether there was an interaction effect between such personal aspects and veracity on realism, clarity, and reconstructability of the story. Methods A total of 158 participants took part in the experiment and were asked to tell a truth and a lie during an interview (veracity condition). They filled in a questionnaire measuring their metamemory performance and their level of functional and dysfunctional impulsivity. A k-means cluster analysis on metamemory and impulsivity was conducted, and three clusters were obtained: controlled-memory inefficient, controlled-memory efficient, and impulsive-average memory. Results The results showed that participants scored higher on all three reality monitoring criteria when telling the truth than when lying. Further, a cluster membership by veracity interaction for realism was also significant, but when telling the truth, there was no difference between clusters in terms of realism used in the explanation. Follow-up analyses showed that, when lying, the level of realism in the story was significantly higher for people belonging to the cluster "impulsive-average memory" than for people belonging to the cluster "controlled-memory efficient", a result that seems to indicate that people with good memory and can control dysfunctional impulsivity have more difficulties when lying. Conclusions Research has shown that realism, clarity, and reconstructability of the story, all part of reality monitoring, can be useful to assess veracity. Generally, truth tellers obtain higher scores on all three variables than liars, but there is some variability across individuals owing to their personal characteristics. Metamemory and impulsivity also play a role in deception. From the implications of the results, the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Sergi
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesca Mottola
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Augusto Gnisci
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Letizia Caso
- Department of Human Sciences, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, Rome, Lazio, Italy
| | - Nicola Palena
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
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Caso L, Cavagnis L, Vrij A, Palena N. Cues to deception: can complications, common knowledge details, and self-handicapping strategies discriminate between truths, embedded lies and outright lies in an Italian-speaking sample? Front Psychol 2023; 14:1128194. [PMID: 37179853 PMCID: PMC10171233 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1128194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Deception research has shown that analysing verbal content can be effective to distinguish between truths and lies. However, most verbal cues are cues to truthfulness (truth tellers report the cue more than lie tellers), whereas cues to deception (lie tellers report the cue more than truth tellers) are largely absent. The complication approach, measuring complications (cue to truthfulness), common knowledge details (cue to deception), self-handicapping strategies (cue to deception), and the ratio of complications, aims to fill this gap in the literature. The present experiment examined the effectiveness of the complication approach when varying the amount of lying, with an Italian sample. Seventy-eight participants were assigned to one of three different experimental conditions: Truth tellers (telling the truth about the event), embedders (providing a mixture of truthful and false information) and outright lie tellers (providing false information). Participants were interviewed about a past experience concerning an out of the ordinary event. Complications discriminated truth tellers from lie tellers. The absence of significant effects for common knowledge details and self-handicapping strategies, the limitations of the experiment and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Caso
- Department of Human Sciences, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, Rome, Lazio, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Cavagnis
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
| | - Aldert Vrij
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth,, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Palena
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
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Deeb H, Vrij A, Leal S, Fallon M, Mann S, Luther K, Granhag PA. Sketching Routes to Elicit Information and Cues to Deceit. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haneen Deeb
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth United Kingdom
| | - Aldert Vrij
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth United Kingdom
| | - Sharon Leal
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth United Kingdom
| | | | - Samantha Mann
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth United Kingdom
| | - Kirk Luther
- Department of Psychology Carleton University Canada
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Mann S, Vrij A, Deeb H, Leal S. Actions speak louder than words: The Devil’s Advocate questioning protocol in opinions about protester actions. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Mann
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth UK
| | - Aldert Vrij
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth UK
| | - Haneen Deeb
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth UK
| | - Sharon Leal
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth UK
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Thielgen MM, Schade S, Niegisch P. Police Officers' Interrogation Expertise and Major Objectives in Police Service and Training: A Comprehensive Overview of the Literature. Front Psychol 2022; 13:823179. [PMID: 35719474 PMCID: PMC9202082 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.823179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Interrogation is a core task of practical police work. The outcomes of interrogation often provide crucial evidence for solving criminal cases. The success of interrogation depends on interactions between police officers and citizens. Based on a comprehensive literature overview, we propose a three-factor typology for interrogations by police officers. First, the competencies of police officers refer to the application of personal, professional, social, and methodological capabilities. The underlying concept of interrogation refers to the application of both explicit and implicit experience-based interrogation models. Communication refers to the goal-directed application of communication tactics and techniques. According to this typology, we discuss the major objectives of police interrogation in police service and training from police officers' perspectives. The present study provides guidance for practical police services and training by offering an evidence-based interrogation standard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus M. Thielgen
- Area of Study VIII – Social Sciences, Department I – University Education, Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Büchenbeuren, Germany
| | - Stefan Schade
- Area of Study VIII – Social Sciences, Department I – University Education, Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Büchenbeuren, Germany
| | - Patrick Niegisch
- Criminal Investigation Department of Wittlich, Police Headquarter of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate State Police, Wittlich, Germany
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Exploring the relationship between personality, morality and lying: A study based on the person-centred approach. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPast research explored the relationship between personality, moral disengagement, and deception and found a general trend showing that the lower people score on the big five personality factors, but the higher they score on moral disengagement and Machiavellianism, the higher their lying tendency. However, a limitation of past research is that it has usually adopted a variable-centred approach, whereas a person-centred approach might describe people in more detail and provide further insight into the relationship between personality and morality. In the present study, we collected data from 316 participants and asked them to fill an on-line questionnaire which included measures on personality, moral disengagement, and lying tendency (perceived lying ability, frequency, negativity and contextuality). The latter was measured via the newly developed Structure of Deception (SoD) scale (Makowski et al., Current Psychology, 2021). We had to aims. First, to validate an Italian version of the SoD, which showed a good factor structure, gender measurement invariance, and good construct and criterion validity. Second, to explore the association between personal characteristics and lying tendency. Personality and morality scores were combined to obtain subpopulations of participants by a mean of cluster analysis. We obtained four clusters, one of which was marked by high Machiavellianism and moral disengagement but low scores on the personality factors, and one of which showed the opposite trend. The results also showed that cluster membership, and hence personal characteristics, was associated with lying tendency. The person-centred approach can be applied in research on lying. Limitations of the study and future suggestions are also discussed.
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Porter CN, Taylor R, Harvey AC. Applying the Asymmetric Information Management (
AIM
) technique to insurance claims. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cody Normitta Porter
- University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol United Kingdom
- University of Portsmouth Institute of Criminal Justice Studies United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Taylor
- University of South Wales, Psychology Department United Kingdom
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Engelmann A, Bauer I, Dolata M, Nadig M, Schwabe G. Promoting Less Complex and More Honest Price Negotiations in the Online Used Car Market with Authenticated Data. GROUP DECISION AND NEGOTIATION 2022; 31:419-451. [PMID: 35495614 PMCID: PMC9035207 DOI: 10.1007/s10726-021-09773-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Online peer-to-peer (P2P) sales of used and or high-value goods are gaining more and more relevance today. However, since potential buyers cannot physically examine the product quality during online sales, information asymmetries and consequently uncertainty and mistrust that already exist in offline sales are exacerbated in online markets. Authenticated data platforms have been proposed to solve these problems by providing authenticated data about the negotiation object, integrating it into text-based channels secured by IT. Yet, we know little about the dynamics of online negotiations today and the impact of the introduction of authenticated data on online negotiation behaviors. We address this research gap based on two experimental studies along with the example of online used car trade. We analyze users' communicative and strategic actions in current P2P chat-based negotiations and examine how the introduction of authenticated data affects these behaviors using a conceptional model derived from literature. Our results show that authenticated data can promote less complex negotiation processes and more honest communication behavior between buyers and sellers. Further, the results indicate that chats with the availability of authenticated data can positively impact markets with information asymmetries. These insights provide valuable contributions for academics interested in the dynamics of online negotiations and the effects of authenticated data in text-based online negotiations. In addition, providers of trade platforms who aim to advance their P2P sales platforms benefit by achieving a competitive advantage and a higher number of customers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Engelmann
- Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ingrid Bauer
- Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mateusz Dolata
- Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Nadig
- Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gerhard Schwabe
- Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
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Vrij A, Hartwig M. Deception and Lie Detection in the Courtroom: The Effect of Defendants Wearing Medical Face Masks. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2021; 10:392-399. [PMID: 36778029 PMCID: PMC9902031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, defendants and witnesses (as well as the prosecution and defense counsel) may wear medical face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. Alternatively, courtrooms proceedings may take place virtually. In this article, we discuss how these deviations from normal procedures may affect jurors' lie detection ability and decision-making. Although research addressing this specific question does not exist, we are able to formulate an informed view based on the extensive deception literature. Since nonverbal signs of deception in the face and body are virtually absent, we conclude that medical face mask-wearing or virtual courtroom proceedings will not hamper jurors' lie detection abilities. If jurors can hear the speech well, they may become better at detecting deception if they pay more attention to speech content, which may occur as a result of mask-wearing in the courtroom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldert Vrij
- Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Aldert Vrij, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Hants, United Kingdom. Contact: (A.V.)
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