INTERPERSONAL INTERPERSONAL DECEPTION THEORYDECEPTION THEORY

April 2012 1MIS 429/529

Views communicators as active and strategic rather than passive and reactive

Focuses on communication processes as well as internal psychological influences

Recognizes partner influence on behavior

Views communication as dynamic and iterative rather than static

April 2012 3MIS 429/529

• about interpersonal communication• about deception

April 2012 4MIS 429/529

Sender & receiver Are active, not passive Interdependent/mutually influencing

Communication is goal-oriented & strategic multifunctional, multidimensional, &

multimodal dynamic adaptive judged on credibility

April 2012 MIS 429/529 5

Deception is strategicDeception is more cognitively

demanding than truthtelling

April 2012 MIS 429/529 6

7April 2012 MIS 429/529

April 2012 MIS 429/529 8

Context features of deceptive interchanges that systematically affect sender and receiver cognitions and behaviors are

(a) the interactivity of the medium and (b) the demands of the conversational task.

April 2012 9MIS 429/529

Deceiver and receiver thoughts, feelings, and behaviors vary systematically with: (a) relational familiarity and

(b) relational valence.

April 2012 10MIS 429/529

Deceivers engage in both strategic and nonstrategic activity. Compared with truthtellers, deceivers exhibit

(a) More strategic activity to manage (1) information content of messages(2) associated nonverbal behavior (3) overall image

(b) Nonstrategic activity that reveals (1) arousal (2) negative or dampened affect(3) depressed involvement (4) impaired speech

April 2012 11MIS 429/529

QUESTION: How many brothers and

sisters do you have?100% TRUTHFUL: I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters.FABRICATION: I'm an only child.EQUIVOCATION: No matter how many of us were around, I always felt like an only child.

CONCEALMENT: I have 3 brothers.

April 2012 MIS 429/529 12

QUESTION: How strong are your computer skills?

100% TRUTHFUL: I used a computer only in my life to write a short letter.

FABRICATION: I use a computer often to write letters, do accounting, and records.

EQUIVOCATION: I suppose they are stronger than some people's but one can always learn more.

CONCEALMENT: I have used a computer.April 2012 MIS 429/529 13

What are her goals here?

What does she do that might qualify as strategic?

What nonstrategic behavior does she exhibit? Notice her gestures (e.g., the shrug gesture), her voice (.e.g., response latencies, nonfluencies, softness, rising intonation, glottal fry) , word choice

April 2012 MIS 429/529 14

•Message content• less truthful

• less complete

• less clear

• less relevant

•Language style• more qualifiers

• less immediacy

•Syntax•Discourse

• repeated questions

April 2012 15MIS 429/529

•Apparent normalcy•Follow conversational norms

•Avoid deviant or unusual behavior

•Submissiveness•Involvement•Suppression of nervousness

April 2012 16MIS 429/529

•Apparent culpability•Pleasantness•Overall credibility of demeanor

April 2012 17MIS 429/529

The more interactive the communication context, the more deceivers increase strategic activity and reduce nonstrategic activity over time.

April 2012 18MIS 429/529

Higher expectations that a sender is truthful are positively associated with (a) Interactive contexts and (b) positively toned relationships.

April 2012 19MIS 429/529

Deceivers’ fear of detection is inversely related to (a) higher expectations that a sender is truthful (b) amount of strategic activity.

April 2012 20MIS 429/529

Goals and motivations moderate strategic and nonstrategic behavior.

(a) Senders deceiving for self-gain exhibit more strategic and non-strategic behavior than deceiving for other-benefit.

(b) Receivers’ initial behavior is influenced by (1) their priorities among instrumental, relational and identity goals

(2) their initial intent to uncover deceit.

April 2012 MIS 429/529 21

As receivers’ informational, behavioral and relational familiarity increase

(a) Deceiver fear of detection increases(b) Deceiver strategic information, behavior and

image management increases(c) Deceiver nonstrategic activity increases

April 2012 22MIS 429/529

Relative to unskilled deceivers, skilled deceivers better convey a truthful demeanor by controlling(a) strategic activity(b) nonstrategic leakage

April 2012 23MIS 429/529

April 2012 MIS 429/529 24

MT 810

Deceivers are seen as more credible when(a) receivers hold truth biases,(b) contexts are more interactive, (c) senders are more skilled communicators, and(d) senders deviate less from expected

communication patterns.

April 2012 25MIS 429/529

Receivers are more accurate in detecting deception when

(a) receivers do not hold truth biases,(b) contexts are noninteractive, (c) senders are unskilled encoders, (d) receivers are familiar with senders,(e) receivers are skilled decoders, and (f) senders deviate from expected

communication patterns.

April 2012 26MIS 429/529

Receivers reveal their suspicions through(a) strategic and (b) nonstrategic behavior.

April 2012 27MIS 429/529

Senders perceive suspicion when it is present through(a) deviations from expected receiver behavior (b) receiver signals of suspicion (c) receiver uncertainty (d) receivers seeking more information

April 2012 28MIS 429/529

Suspicion (perceived or actual) increases sender (a) strategic activity(b) nonstrategic activity

April 2012 29MIS 429/529

Deception and suspicion displays change over time.

April 2012 30MIS 429/529

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