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Imposing Cognitive Load to Detect Prepared Lies: A T-Pattern Approach

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Discovering Hidden Temporal Patterns in Behavior and Interaction

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 111))

Abstract

One of the most well-documented claims in the deception literature is that humans are poor detectors of deception. Such human fallibility is exacerbated by the complexity of both deception and human behavior. The aim of our chapter is to examine whether the overall organization of behavior differ when people report truthful vs. deceptive messages, and when they report stories in reverse vs. chronological order, while interacting with a confederate. We argue that recalling stories in reverse order will produce cognitive overloading in subjects, because their cognitive resources are already partially spent on the lying task; this should emphasize nonverbal differences between liars and truth tellers. In the present preliminary study, we asked participants to report specific autobiographical episodes. We videotaped them as they reported the stories in chronological order or in reverse order after asking to lie about one of the stories. We focused in analyzing how people organize their communicative styles during both truthful and deceptive interactions. In particular, we focused on the display of lying and truth telling through facial actions. Such influences on the organization of behavior have been explored within the framework of the T-pattern model. The video recordings were coded after establishing the ground truth. Datasets were then analyzed using Theme 6 beta software. Results show that discriminating behavioral patterns between truth and lie could be easier under high cognitive load condition. Moreover, they suggest that future research on deception detection may focus more on patterns of behavior rather than on individual cues.

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Professor Luigi Anolli.

Professor Anolli made an effective contribution to the introduction and development of communication psychology in Italy. Focusing on the miscommunication field, he closely examined deceptive communication in its different aspects. Within the communication domain, Professor Anolli also gave special attention to nonverbal communication. As well, he focused on new methodological devices of analysis. In Italy, he introduced the use of “Theme” software for the recognition of hidden patterns in human interaction. His contribution and his effort in the methodological and theoretical approach we have embraced were crucial for the realization of this study.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences for Education “Riccardo Massa”, CESCOM (Centre for Studies in Communication Sciences), University of Milano-Bicocca, Building U16, via Giolli angolo via Thomas Mann, Milan, 20162, Italy

    Valentino Zurloni, Barbara Diana, Massimiliano Elia & Luigi Anolli

Authors
  1. Valentino Zurloni
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  2. Barbara Diana
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  3. Massimiliano Elia
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  4. Luigi Anolli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valentino Zurloni .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Magnus S. Magnusson

  2. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Judee K. Burgoon

  3. Department of Bio.Ne.C., University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Maurizio Casarrubea

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Zurloni, V., Diana, B., Elia, M., Anolli, L. (2016). Imposing Cognitive Load to Detect Prepared Lies: A T-Pattern Approach. In: Magnusson, M., Burgoon, J., Casarrubea, M. (eds) Discovering Hidden Temporal Patterns in Behavior and Interaction. Neuromethods, vol 111. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3249-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3249-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3248-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3249-8

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