Applying the verifiability approach to deception detection in alibi witness situations

• Published in: Acta Psychologica Vol. 204; p. 103020
• Main Authors: Vernham, Zarah, Vrij, Aldert, Nahari, Galit, Leal, Sharon, Mann, Samantha, Satchell, Liam, Orthey, Robin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.03.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alibi witness; Collective interviewing; Consistency; Deception; Discrimination Learning; dk/atira/pure/core/subjects/psychology; embargoover12; Humans; Lie Detection; Male; Psychology; Verifiability approach; Young Adult; Verifiability approach; Collective interviewing; Alibi witness; Lie detection; Consistency
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103020
• ISSN: 0001-6918; 1873-6297

The application of alibi witness scenarios to deception detection has been overlooked. Experiment 1 was a study of the verifiability approach in which truth-telling pairs completed a mission together, whereas in lying pairs one individual completed this mission alone and the other individual committed a mock theft. All pairs were instructed to convince the interviewer that they completed the mission together by writing individual statements on their own followed by a collective statement together as a pair. In the individual statements, truth-telling pairs provided more checkable details that demonstrated they completed the mission together than lying pairs, whereas lying pairs provided more uncheckable details than truth-telling pairs. The collective statements made truth-telling pairs provide significantly more checkable details that demonstrated they were together in comparison to the individual statements, whereas no effect was obtained for lying pairs. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves revealed high accuracy rates for discriminating between truths and lies using the verifiability approach across all statement types. Experiment 2 was a lie detection study whereby observers' abilities to discriminate between truths and lies using the verifiability approach were examined. This revealed that applying the verifiability approach to collective statements improved observers' ability to accurately detect deceit. We suggest that the verifiability approach could be used as a lie detection technique and that law enforcement policies should consider implementing collective interviewing. •Truth-telling pairs provide more checkable details than lying pairs.•Lying pairs provide more uncheckable details than truth-telling pairs.•Collective statements lead to more checkable details than individual statements.•Collective statements improve the ability of observers to detect deceit.•The verifiability approach is a promising and valid lie detection tool.