NCJ Number
213130
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 99-111
Date Published
February 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study instructed a portion of a sample of Italian college students in the verbal and nonverbal cues of deception, and any effects of this instruction were examined in the students' subsequent verbal and nonverbal styles in the truthful or fabricated description of an event they observed.
Abstract
As the researchers expected, the students were able to adapt their verbal expressions to the criteria for truthfulness explained in their instruction, but those who fabricated their accounts were not able to change their nonverbal behavior to comply with criteria for truthfulness. This suggests that people are more aware of their verbal behavior and are more practiced in choosing the words they will speak; whereas, they are less conscious of their nonverbal behavior and are less practiced in modifying it. Asking participants to focus on their verbal content did not influence the participants' nonverbal behavior, and asking them to concentrate on their nonverbal behavior did not influence their speech content. A total of 128 students were recruited for the study, and some of the students were instructed in verbal and nonverbal signs of deception. Participants were then told whether to lie or to tell the truth about having possession of an object. The interviews were videotaped and coded according to verbal content and bodily movements in the course of the interview. The coding focused on specific criteria of verbal content and nonverbal movement related to deception. 1 table and 32 references