12

DECEPTIVE
COMMUNICATION
2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.

[Deception
Deceptive communication occurs when a
speaker transmits information knowingly
and intentionally for the purpose of
creating a false belief in the receiver.

[Deception
Some lies are high-stakes lies

Forging a signature
Impersonating a licensed professional
Engaging in insider trading
Misrepresenting income on tax returns
Filing false insurance claims
Committing perjury

[Deception

Some lies are low-stakes

lies

Saying youre happy to meet

someone when you arent
Saying you have plans, to
get out of an undesirable
social commitment
Falsely complimenting
someones appearance

[Deception
To qualify as deception:
The sender must know the information is
false
The sender must be transmitting the
information on purpose

The sender must be attempting to make the

receiver believe the information

[The Elements of Deception

When is a lie not a lie?
You arent lying if you believe what youre
saying is true

Youre not lying if you dont intend for others

to believe what youre saying
You cannot lie to yourself

Deception as a Common Occurrence

Deception is a common component that

is used frequently when we are
attempting to be polite

Politeness involves making others feel

appreciated, whether the feeling is genuine
or not
Unedited honestly would be seen as highly
impolite and researchers believe that
deception can serve as a social lubricant
as it helps people to get along.

Deception as a Common Occurrence

Deception is common in online

communication as it doesnt involve face
to face contact.
Many people are deceptive about their
identities or personal characteristics online

[The Diversity of Deceptive Acts

Some of the reasons why people deceive

To benefit the hearer to not hurt them
To help them get to know someone
To protect their privacy
To avoid conflict
To make themselves look better
To help them avoid punishment
To protect them from distress
To amuse you

[The Diversity of Deceptive Acts

Some deceptive acts are acts of simulation
that involve fabricating information or
exaggerating facts for the purpose of
misleading others.

Falsification: communicating false information as

though it were true

Exaggeration: overstating something that is true

in principle

[The Diversity of Deceptive Acts

Some deceptive acts are acts of
dissimulation, statements we make that
are not true.
Omission: leaving out parts of a story to
create a false impression
Equivocation: making ambiguous

statements to give the false impression that

one has said something one hasnt

[Behaviors and Deception

Detecting deception is difficult

Many people look for the wrong cuesand

ignore the right cueswhen they believe
they are being lied to

Our truth bias causes us to believe most of

what we hear

[Behaviors and Deception

Some reliable cues to deception

Information inconsistency
Increased speech errors
Increased vocal pitch
Increased blinking and pupil dilation
Increased use of false smiles
Decreased body movement

[Detecting Lies in Different Contexts

When you suspect
deception, remember
that

Familiarity affects deception

success
Expressive people are
better liars
Culture matters, but
only sometimes

[Detecting Lies in Different Contexts

When you suspect deception,
remember that
Motivation to succeed at lying doesnt
always help
Suspicion may not improve your
detection ability
Non-interactive contexts are best for
detecting deception