Professor of Applied Social Psychology, University of Portsmouth
Aldert Vrij is Professor of Applied Social Psychology, University of Portsmouth (UK). His main research interest is deception, resulting in almost 500 publications. He received grants from British Research Councils, Trusts and Foundations, Insurers, Federal Bureau of Investigation, High value detainee Interrogation Group, and American, British, Dutch, and Singapore Governments, totalling > £4,300,000. He works closely with practitioners (police, security services and insurers) in terms of conducting research and disseminating it’s findings. His 2008 book Detecting lies and deceit: Pitfalls and opportunities is a comprehensive overview of research into (non)verbal and physiological deception and lie detection. He is the contact person of the European consortium of Psychological Research on Deception Detection (EPRODD) www.eprodd.eu
Personal webpage
Recent publications
Vrij, A., Hope, L., & Fisher, R. P. (2014). Eliciting reliable information in investigative interviews. Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1, 129-136. DOI: 10.1177/2372732214548592.
Vrij, A., Fisher, R., Blank, H. (2015). A cognitive approach to lie detection: A meta-analysis. Legal and Criminological Psychology. DOI:10.1111/lcrp.12088.
Vrij, A., Leal, S., Mann, S., Vernham, Z., & Brankaert, F. (2015). Translating theory into practice: Evaluating a cognitive lie detection training workshop. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 4, 110-120. doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2015.02.002
More from Aldert…
When and How are Lies Told? And the Role of Culture and Intentions in Intelligence-Gathering Interviews
Purpose Lie‐tellers tend to tell embedded lies within interviews. In the context of intelligence‐gathering interviews, human sources may disclose information about multiple events, some...Read More »“Tell me more about this…”: An examination of the efficacy of follow-up open questions following an initial account
In information gathering interviews, follow‐up questions are asked to clarify and extend initial witness accounts. Across two experiments, we examined the efficacy of open‐ended...Read More »Sketching while narrating as a tool to detect deceit
In none of the deception studies that used drawings to date, was the effect of sketching on both speech content and drawing content examined,...Read More »Detecting smugglers: Identifying strategies and behaviours in individuals in possession of illicit objects
Behaviour detection officers’ task is to spot potential criminals in public spaces, but scientific research concerning what to look for is scarce. In two...Read More »Fading lies: applying the verifiability approach after a period of delay
We tested the utility of applying the Verifiability Approach (VA) to witness statements after a period of delay. The delay factor is important to...Read More »“Language of Lies”: Urgent Issues and Prospects in Verbal Lie Detection Research
Since its introduction into the field of deception detection, the verbal channel has become a rapidly growing area of research. The basic assumption is...Read More »Using the Model Statement to Elicit Verbal Differences Between Truth Tellers and Liars: The Benefit of Examining Core and Peripheral Details
Research has shown that a model statement elicits more information during an interview and that truth tellers and liars report a similar amount of...Read More »Extending the Verifiability Approach Framework: The Effect of Initial Questioning
The verifiability approach (VA) is a lie‐detection tool that examines reported checkable details. Across two studies, we attempt to exploit liar’s preferred strategy of...Read More »Within-Subjects Verbal Lie Detection Measures: A Comparison between Total Detail and Proportion of Complications
We examined whether the verbal cue, proportion of complications, was a more diagnostic cue to deceit than the amount of information provided (e.g., total...Read More »Using Specific Model Statements to Elicit Information and Cues to Deceit in Information-Gathering Interviews
Model Statements are designed to modify an interviewee’s expectation of the amount of details required during an interview. This study examined tailored Model Statements,...Read More »Using the model statement to elicit verbal differences between truth tellers and liars amongst Arab interviewees: A partial replication of Leal, Vrij, Deeb, and Jupe (2018)
Leal, Vrij, Deeb, and Jupe (2018) found—with British participants—that a model statement elicited (a) more information and (b) a cue to deceit: After exposure...Read More »Deception and truth detection when analyzing nonverbal and verbal cues
In this article, I present my view on the significant developments and theoretical/empirical tipping points in nonverbal and verbal deception and lie detection from...Read More »Cross-Cultural Verbal Deception
Background ‘Interviewing to detect deception’ research is sparse across different Ethnic Groups. In the present experiment, we interviewed truth tellers and liars from British,...Read More »The Benefits of a Self-Generated Cue Mnemonic for Timeline Interviewing
Reliable information is critical for investigations in forensic and security settings; however, obtaining reliable information for complex events can be challenging. In this study,...Read More »Collective Interviewing: The Use of a Model Statement to Differentiate between Pairs of Truth-Tellers and Pairs of Liars
Purpose The current experiment examined the use of a model statement for aiding lie detection and gathering additional information during interviews in which pairs...Read More »Eliciting Information and Cues to Deceit
Eliciting Information and Cues to Deceit by CREST Researchers Aldert Vrij, Lorraine Hope, Feni Kontogianni, Becky Milne, Zarah Vernham, and Samantha Mann. This poster...Read More »Which lie detection tools are ready for use?
Aldert Vrij and Ronald Fisher describe some of the techniques used in investigative interviews and discuss whether they are ready for use in the...Read More »How unexpected questions can catch out liars
Aldert Vrij and Matthew Francis write about how an interview technique – asking unexpected questions – can help catch out liars. One of the...Read More »CREST Guide: The model statement technique
This CREST Guide is an overview of an interviewing tactic – the model statement technique – a simple technique for eliciting more information from...Read More »Masterclass in eliciting intelligence information
CREST Researchers delivered a masterclass on intelligence interviewing to over fifty practitioners from European government, police and military organisations. The day covered new techniques...Read More »Liars struggle to provide checkable details
A short guide to aid in deception detection Research by CREST programme lead Professor Aldert Vrij has shown that when people tell lies in...Read More »Research on the verifiability approach in interviewing
The research in this paper contributed to the CREST guide on checkable details in interviewing. It demonstrates a method interviewers can use to aid in determining...Read More »