A stability bias effect among deceivers

Harvey, Adam Charles; Vrij, Aldert; Hope, Lorraine; Leal, Sharon; Mann, Samantha

Abstract

Research examining how truth tellers' and liars' verbal behavior is attenuated as a function of delay is largely absent from the literature, despite its important applied value. We examined this factor across 2 studies in which we examined the effects of a hypothetical delay (Experiment 1) or actual delay (Experiment 2) on liars' accounts. In Experiment 1 - an insurance claim interview setting - claimants either genuinely experienced a (staged) loss of a tablet device (n = 40) or pretended to have experienced the same loss (n = 40). Truth tellers were interviewed either immediately after the loss (n = 20) or 3 weeks after the loss (n = 20), whereas liars had to either pretend the loss occurred either immediately before (n = 20) or 3 weeks before (n = 20) the interview (i.e., hypothetical delay for liars). In Experiment 2 - a Human Intelligence gathering setting - sources had to either lie (n = 50) or tell the truth (n = 50) about a secret video they had seen concerning the placing of a spy device. Half of the truth tellers and liars where interviewed immediately after watching the video (n = 50), and half where interviewed 3-weeks later (n = 50; i.e., real delay for liars). Across both experiments, truth tellers interviewed after a delay reported fewer details than truth tellers interviewed immediately after the to-be-remembered event. In both studies, liars failed to simulate this pattern of forgetting and reported similar amounts of detail when interviewed without or after a delay, demonstrating a stability bias in reporting.

Citation

Harvey, A. C., Vrij, A., Hope, L., Leal, S., & Mann, S. (2017). A stability bias effect among deceivers. Law and Human Behavior, 41(6), 519-529. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000258

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 6, 2017
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Mar 12, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 18, 2021
• Journal: Law and Human Behavior
• Print ISSN: 0147-7307
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 519-529
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000258
• Keywords: Lie-detection, forgetting, richness of detail, stability bias, verbal-strategies, verbal credibility cue
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7197766
• Related Public URLs: https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/a-stability-bias-effect-amongst-deceivers(028da7c9-8c53-4cbc-85ef-92cddf648d86).html