Oral Presentation: Beliefs, Confidence, and Attribution Bias regarding Deception Cues in Police Officers and Laypeople

Title: Beliefs, Confidence, and Attribution Bias regarding Deception Cues in Police Officers and Laypeople

 Abstract:

Police officers’ beliefs regarding deception detection are often remote from the scientific consensus. These beliefs commonly rely on the nervousness hypothesis, stating that deceit involves observable behavioral indicators of stress. However, little is know about how these beliefs may vary based on other factors, such as the confidence in one’s beliefs and the attribution of cues to deception to oneself, a close person, or a complete stranger. In this study, police officers (N = 124) and laypeople (N = 182) were asked to express to what extent behavioral cues were observed when either a complete stranger, a close person, or they themselves were being deceitful. Confidence in their answers was also recorded. Results support the belief-in-nervousness hypothesis, as most cues were considered to be more present when one was lying. An attribution bias was observed revealing that police officers expect certain deception cues to appear more with other people than with themselves. Additionally, we show a high correlation between the expected appearance of deceit-related cues and the confidence in the belief. Finally, Bayesian analyses support the similarity in belief content and confidence between laypeople and police officers. Results are discussed in terms of training and recruiting processes.