Humans Are Pretty Lousy Lie Detectors

Member/Author: Christiane Gelitz On television, it all looks so simple. For a fraction of a second, the suspect raises the corner of his mouth. He is happy because he thinks the investigators are wrong about where he planted the bomb. But when his interrogator mentions the correct place, the terrorist’s More

Why Humans Are Bad At Spotting Lies

“Exactly how you’d expect a guilty person to act.” “Moving and credible.” “So coached and so rehearsed.” “Simply tremendous.” These are all reactions to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a set of responses that put on full display just how differently people More

Response Times Do Not Imply Accurate Unconscious Lie Detection

In research published in Psychological Science in 2014, psychological scientists Leanne ten Brinke and colleagues presented studies suggesting that people are able to detect lies on an unconscious level even if they can’t detect them consciously. But, in a new commentary published in Psychological Science, researchers Volker Franz and Ulrike More

The Use and Misuse of Science in the Justice System

The psychological factors that play into the criminal justice system, from police interrogations to jury verdicts and sentencing decisions, were highlighted in a cross-cutting theme program at the APS Annual Convention in New York City. The session included a look at myths and facts about psychopathic traits in children, flawed More

The Science of Interrogation: Rapport, Not Torture

Chris Matthews, who hosts the MSNBC news program Hardball, is convinced that torture works. In the last two days, in the wake of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s damning report on CIA interrogation practices, he has allowed that so-called “enhanced interrogation” may be illegal and immoral, but he keeps reiterating versions More