NCJ Number
88152
Journal
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1982) Pages: 171-187
Date Published
1982
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study tested the hypothesis that judges who suspect deception would be less influenced by controllable channels (facial expressions) relative to 'leaky' channels (voice and body) than judges who do not suspect deception.
Abstract
The Nonverbal Discrepancy Test, comprised of video (face or body) cues paired with audio cues, was administered to 158 (71 male and 87 female) subjects with the information that the person shown in the test never lied, sometimes lied, or very often lied; in a fourth condition (control) there was no mention of deception. In some cases, the video and audio components of the discrepancy test depicted the same affect, while in other cases they depicted different affects. Subjects who expected more deception were relatively less influenced by the facial component of the affectively discrepant video-audio pairings. These subjects were also less accurate at decoding affectively consistent video-audio pairings, especially those involving facial cues. Finally, subjects who expected more deception became less accurate decoders of consistent video-audio pairings during the second half of the test but learned to recognize video-audio discrepancies better. The results suggest that suspicion of deception led subjects to discount facial cues. Results for the control group indicate that even in the absence of explicit information, discrepant messages create a suspicion of deception. Study data, footnotes, and some 25 references are supplied. (Author abstract modified)