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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, making it unclear what the full potential is of the use of drawings as a lie detection tool. A total of 122 truth tellers and liars took part in the study who did or did not sketch while narrating their allegedly experienced event. We formulated hypotheses about the total amount of information and number of complications reported and about various features of the drawings. Participants in the Sketch‐present condition provided more information than participants in the Sketch‐absent condition, and truth tellers reported more details than liars, but only in the Sketch‐present condition. In contrast to previous research, no Veracity differences occurred regarding the content of the drawings, perhaps because sketching was introduced as a tool that facilitated verbal recall and not as a stand‐alone tool.

(From the journal abstract)


Aldert Vrij, Samantha Mann, Sharon Leal, Ronald P. Fisher & Haneen Deeb, 2020. Sketching while narrating as a tool to detect deceit. Applied Cognitive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3646

Authors: Aldert Vrij, Samantha Mann, Sharon Leal, Ronald P. Fisher, Haneen Deeb
‘Please tell me all you remember’: A comparison between British and Arab interviewees’ free narrative performance and its implications for lie detection

We examined how much information British and Arab truth tellers and lie tellers volunteer in an initial free narrative. Based on cultural differences in communication styles we predicted that British interviewees would report more details and more complications than Arab interviewees (culture main effect). We further predicted that truth tellers would report more details and complications than lie tellers (veracity main effect), particularly in the British sample (Veracity × Culture interaction effect). A total of 78 British and 76 Israeli-Arab participants took part. The experiment was carried out at a British university and an Israeli university. Participants carried out a mission. Truth tellers were instructed to report the mission truthfully in a subsequent interview whereas lie tellers were asked to lie about certain aspects of the mission. The three hypotheses were supported for details, whereas for complications only the predicted veracity main effect occurred.

(From the journal abstract)


Vrij, A., Leal, S., Mann, S., Vernham, Z., Dalton, G., Serok-Jeppa, O., Rozmann, N., Nahari, G., & Fisher, R. P. (2020). ‘Please tell me all you remember’: A comparison between British and Arab interviewees’ free narrative performance and its implications for lie detection. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 1–14.

Authors: Aldert Vrij, Sharon Leal, Samantha Mann, Zarah Vernham, Ronald P. Fisher
https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2020.1805812
Combining Verbal Veracity Assessment Techniques to Distinguish Truth Tellers from Lie Tellers

Cognitive Credibility Assessment (CCA) is a verbal lie detection tool consisting of several interview techniques. These techniques have been examined separately but never together. Reflecting the dynamic nature of CCA we combined several of the techniques (free recall followed by a model statement, followed by a reverse order instruction, and followed by a sketch instruction). We examined the new information provided after each stage of the interview and also compared the information provided in the initial recall with the information provided after the entire interview. A total of 47 truth tellers and 47 lie tellers went on a mission. Truth tellers were asked to report their mission truthfully, whereas lie tellers were requested to lie about several aspects of the mission. We measured the total units of information (total details) provided in the interview and the number of complications reported. The results indicate that the pre-registered hypothesis (Hypothesis 1) was supported for complications. Truth tellers reported more complications than lie tellers in each stage of the interview and the difference was more pronounced after the entire interview than after the free recall. As a conclusion, CCA was an effective lie detection method when complications were taken into account.

(From the journal abstract)


Vrij, A., Mann, S., Leal, S., & Fisher, R. P. (2020). Combining Verbal Veracity Assessment Techniques to Distinguish Truth Tellers from Lie Tellers. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 13(1), 9–19.

Authors: Aldert Vrij, Samantha Mann, Sharon Leal, Ronald P. Fisher
https://doi.org/10.5093/ejpalc2021a2
Use of the model statement in determining the veracity of opinions

We examined the efficacy of a Model Statement to detect opinion lies. A total of93 participants discussed their opinion about the recent strikes on two occasions,1 week apart. In one interview they told the truth and in the other interview theylied. Each interview consisted of two phases. In Phase 1 they discussed their allegedopinion (truth or lie as appropriate). They then either listened to a Model Statement(a detailed account of someone discussing an opinion about a topic unrelated tostrike actions) and expressed their opinion again in Phase 2 (Model Statement pre-sent condition) or they discussed their opinion again without listening to a ModelStatement (Model Statement absent condition). The verbal cues examined were pro-opinion arguments, anti-opinion arguments, plausibility, immediacy, directness, clar-ity, and predictability. The truthful statements sounded more plausible in Phases1 and 2 than the deceptive statements, providing further evidence that plausibility isa strong veracity indicator. The truthful statements included more pro-argumentsand sounded more immediate and direct than the deceptive statements, but only inPhase 2. The Model Statement had no effect. Reasons for the Model Statement null-effect are discussed.

(From the journal abstract)


Mann, S., Vrij, A., & Deeb, H. (2024). Use of the model statement in determining the veracity of opinions. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 38(4), e4227. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.4227

Authors: Samantha Mann, Aldert Vrij, Haneen Deeb
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acp.4227

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