Detecting Deception in Children and Adults

Detecting Deception in Children and Adults

• Children, unlike adults, may not lie initially. However, as they develop language and social skills, they learn to deceive for social survival. The ability to lie is a crucial human skill, helpful in various aspects of life.

Types of Liars and Lies

• Types of Liars: Not explicitly defined, but suggests different individuals may lie for varying reasons.
• Types of Lies: Not explicitly defined, but suggests different types exist.

Signs of Lying

Verbal Clues

• Direct Denials: A denial of an action, creating inner conflict related to the lie. Vague answers can be utilized to avoid this inner conflict
• Inconsistencies: Contradictory statements by the witness is a strong indicator of deception, as the liar gets entangled in their own lies.
• Slip of the Tongue: Unintentional disclosures by liars.
• Tirades: Extended statements of deception. These are potentially related to high levels of stress and emotion.
• Pauses: Unusual or excessive pauses in speech patterns may indicate deception. These may occur when the person is trying to make up a story on the spot.
• Speed of Speech: Increased speed of speech, run-on sentences, and fragmented conversations can happen when the person is trying to speak fast to avoid being caught.

Nonverbal Clues

• Emblems: Deliberate body language (e.g., head nods, shrugs, thumbs-up).
• Manipulators: Self-touching behaviors (e.g., hair-twirling, hand-wringing). May increase with stress or conversely, relaxation or boredom.
• Breathing: Changes in breathing patterns (e.g., hyperventilation) can indicate stress, but stress is unrelated to the lie.
• Sweating: Increased perspiration is involuntary and can be a response to emotion and/or stress.
• Frequent Swallowing: An increased need to swallow can be connected to a dry mouth due to stress caused by a lie.
• Facial Muscles: Facial expressions above the eyes (eyebrows, eyes) can reveal more emotion than facial expressions involving the mouth (smile, frown) which can mask or control emotions.
• Eyes: Eye movements (blinders, pupil dilation, tears) reflect emotion. Rapid blinking suggests emotional stress while a lack of blinking could mean rejection of the questioner. Pupil dilation can be connected to light levels first and foremost but stress and emotion can potentially cause changes as well.
• Face: Blushing can occur, especially during tough questioning. This can be a sign of strong emotion, but not entirely a sign of a lie. The face may contain two messages—what the person intends to display versus what they are hiding.