People tend to underestimate their own ability to lie (Elaad, 2003).There are several reasons why people think they are worse liars than they actually are. First, they tend to overestimate the extent to which their own thoughts, emotions, and other mental states are transparent to others (e.g., illusion of transparency, Gilovich, Savitsky, & Medvec, 1998). In other words, people mistakenly believe that their lies shine through. Second, self-perceptions are typically characterised by positive illusions (Taylor & Brown, 1988),

Good Liars

and people typically think of themselves as being more moral than most others (Kaplar & Gordon, 2004).Admitting to being a good liar does not match with this positive self-image. Third, although people tell more white lies than serious lies, they remember their serious lies better than their white lies (Elaad, 2003).

Finally, perhaps people remember better those times when their lies failed than when they lied successfully, particularly if these failed lies resulted in negative consequences.By forgetting the times they lied successfully, they may underestimate how often their lies succeed.People tend to overestimate their own ability to detect lies (Elaad, 2003) and more lies remain unnoticed than they generally think.

Poor Lie Detectors

There are many reasons why lies remain undetected, and they can be clustered into three main categories (Vrij, 2007): poor motivation; difficulties associated with lie detection; and common errors made by lie detectors.

Why do people lie? Do gender and personality differences affect how people lie? How can lies be detected? Detecting Lies and Deceit provides the most comprehensive review of deception to date. This revised edition provides an up-to-date account of deception research and discusses the working and efficacy of the most commonly used lie detection tools, including: <ul> <li>Behaviour Analysis Interview</li> <li>Statement Validity Assessment</li> <li>Reality Monitoring</li> <li>Scientific Content Analysis</li> <li>Several different polygraph tests</li> <li>Voice Stress Analysis</li> <li>Thermal Imaging</li> <li>EEG-P300</li> <li>Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)</li> </ul> All three aspects of deception are covered: nonverbal cues, speech and written statement analysis and (neuro)physiological responses. The most common errors in lie detection are discussed and practical guidelines are provided to help professionals improve their lie detection skills. Detecting Lies and Deceit is a must-have resource for students, academics and professionals in psychology, criminology, policing and law.

Detecting Lies and Deceit

Good Liars

Good Liars

Poor Lie Detectors

Poor Lie Detectors

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