Seeing the Lies: What Can Contribute to Better Lie Detection

Society is based on interpersonal interactions. Verbal and non-verbal communication are used to convey a vast spectrum of information that can be manipulated. This study investigates the effectiveness of various lie detection training strategies and explores the role of individual differences – namely emotional intelligence, empathy, and cognitive reflection – on the accuracy of detecting deception. The experimental design incorporated instructional variations and feedback types to assess participants’ ability to identify deception in controlled video scenarios. Despite the instructional and feedback manipulations not significantly improving performance, regression analyses revealed that higher emotional intelligence and numerical cognitive reflection correlated with better judgement in lie detection task. Furthermore, gender differences emerged, with numeric cognitive reflection mediating this effect. Although effect sizes were small, the findings underscore the complexity of lie detection and point to the importance of individual differences in decision-making accuracy. These insights offer valuable implications for developing more efficient, scalable, and psychologically informed intervention that could positively impact lie detection ability.