Deck 12: Interpersonal Deception

Question 1

Which of the following statements could be an example of the Othello error?

A)A listener is so suspicious that he or she doubts someone else's truthful statement.
B)People tend to look for deception in bad news more than in good news.
C)People tend to look for deception in good news more than in bad news.
D)A listener is so trusting of another that he or she does not evaluate the truthfulness of the person's statements.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following forms of deception is an act of dissimulation?

A)exaggeration
B)falsification
C)sarcasm
D)equivocation

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In her diary study, communication scientist Sandra Metts found that almost half of people's deception attempts involved which form of deception?

A)falsification
B)hyperbole
C)omission
D)exaggeration

Answer 3

A

Question 4

How have researchers typically studied deceptive behaviors in cross-cultural environments?

A)They focus their research on the speaker's vocal cues.
B)They focus their research on the speaker's truthfulness quotient.
C)They focus their research on the speaker's nonverbal cues.
D)They focus their research on the speaker's eye movement specifically.

Question 5

Research indicates that the average person can detect deception approximately what percentage of the time?

A)25%
B)40%
C)55%
D)73%

Question 6

According to your text, which of the following is NOT a common reason for deception?

A)Some lies take advantage of others' ignorance.
B)Some lies make you look better.
C)Some lies benefit the hearer.
D)Some lies amuse you.

Question 7

Research shows that men are more likely than women to lie about which characteristic in an online dating ad?

A)physical attractiveness
B)education level
C)age
D)ethnicity

Question 8

Lying under oath is known as

A)fraud.
B)perjury.
C)omission.
D)dissimulation.

Question 9

According to research, an increase in which of the following nonverbal behaviors is indicative of deception?

A)forward leans
B)genuine smiles
C)vocal fluency
D)blinking

Question 10

Which of the following would tend to increase your chances of detecting deception?

A)being lied to by a friend instead of a stranger
B)being lied to by a highly motivated liar
C)being very suspicious
D)being lied to by a very expressive liar

Question 11

According to deception research, which of the following behavioral changes is a reliable cue to deception?

A)increased smiling
B)reduced vocal pitch
C)decreased eye contact
D)decreased gesturing

Question 12

Misrepresenting facts for the purpose of material gain is known as

A)forgery.
B)impersonation.
C)fraud.
D)deception.

Question 13

When his girlfriend asks if he really loves her, Ramon gives her a vague, ambiguous response. Which form of deception is he attempting?

A)fibbing
B)equivocation
C)exaggeration
D)falsification

Question 14

According to research, how do most people discover that they have been lied to?

A)The liar confesses.
B)A third party reveals the truth.
C)Circumstantial evidence incriminates the liar.
D)They investigate the evidence for themselves.

Question 15

Frank's grandfather loved to fish. Every time he came back from the lake, he described catching and releasing a bigger and bigger fish. We can infer from this story that Frank's grandfather likely engaged in

A)commission.
B)equivocation.
C)falsification.
D)exaggeration.

Question 16

What is meant by the statement, "Deception can serve as a social lubricant"?

A)People commonly engage in deception to get what they want from other people.
B)People commonly engage in deception to avoid hurting others' feelings.
C)People commonly engage in deception in order to impress others.
D)People commonly engage in deception in order to increase their number of friends.

Question 17

Which of the following contributes to people's inability to detect deception accurately?

A)truth bias
B)focusing on the wrong nonverbal signals
C)the fact that questioning everything we hear takes too much energy
D)All of these contribute.

Question 18

Deception has several basic elements. Which of the following is NOT among them?

A)The sender must believe the information is false.
B)The receiver must believe the information is true.
C)The information must be transmitted knowingly.
D)The sender must intend to create a false belief in the receiver.

Question 19

When Tonya's boss asked her what time their meeting with the new client was, she replied that it was set for that afternoon at 3:30. She was so certain that she did not bother to check her calendar first. When Tonya and her boss arrived at the client's office, the client was very upset because she had been waiting for 30 minutes for their 3:00 meeting. Tonya then checked her calendar, and sure enough, the meeting had been scheduled for 3:00. Which of the following is true of this scenario?

A)Tonya lied to her boss, in order to avoid potential harm.
B)Tonya did not lie to her boss, because she didn't mean for her boss to believe her.
C)Tonya lied to her boss, because she failed to check facts before making a statement.
D)Tonya did not lie to her boss, because she believed her statement was true.

Question 20

When Ronaldo shopped for his new flat-screen television, he was surprised at the cost differences between some of the models. When he asked the salesperson for help, the salesperson assured him that the lower-end models could display the same high-definition channels as the more expensive ones. Because he was on a tight budget, Ronaldo took the salesperson's advice and bought a cheaper model. Only when he got his TV home did Ronaldo realize that he needed to purchase an expensive converter box to actually receive HD channels. Which of the following statements is true about this scenario?

A)The salesperson engaged in deception by lying.
B)The salesperson engaged in deception by falsification.
C)The salesperson engaged in deception by omission.
D)The salesperson engaged in deception by misleading.

Question 21

When lying to a stranger, one will usually be more successful doing so in a face-to-face conversation than in an e-mail message.

Question 22

One of the most common ways people discover they've been lied to is from third-party information.

Question 23

Our truth bias is usually stronger for friends than for strangers.

Question 24

Pupil dilation usually decreases when people are being deceptive.

Question 25

It is possible to be deceptive without ever saying a word.

Question 26

Many forms of politeness and discretion involve being deceptive.

Question 27

How do the principles of interpersonal deception theory factor into the process of deception?

Question 28

Explain the difference between omission and equivocation, and give concrete examples of each.

Question 29

Vocal characteristics are usually poor indicators of deception.

Question 30

Deceiving others online is a fairly common practice, especially when it comes to online dating services. Given what you've learned in this chapter and examples from the popular media, discuss some of the dangers inherent in online communication. Next, consider this question: Can people ever know for sure that someone is being honest with them online? How can we detect deception in cyberspace?

Question 31

Deception done for the right reasons is not really deception.

Question 32

Is it easier to detect deception from friends or strangers? Make an argument for each possible outcome and then describe what research has found.

Question 33

Explain the difference between interactive and noninteractive contexts. Indicate which one advantages deceivers when they are lying to strangers, and explain why.

Question 34

One lesson that research has taught us is that many of the average person's beliefs about deception are wrong (e.g., lack of eye contact is a good clue to deception; most people are good at spotting deception; it is harder to lie to a suspicious person than an unsuspicious one). Offer reasoned speculation as to why people's beliefs about interpersonal deception are, on average, so inaccurate. Consider the potential roles played by emotion, religion, the media, and the mind or psyche.

Question 35

Imagine that a "truth serum" existed that, when administered, would make everyone tell the pure, unedited truth in all situations. In a brief essay, discuss the pros and cons of such a product. Finish your essay with a conclusion in which you either support or condemn the truth serum. Support your decision.

Question 36

It is impossible to lie if everything you say is true.

Question 37

Most people are quite good at detecting deception.

Question 38

Make an argument for why our society condones some forms of deception (e.g., those involved in tact, discretion, politeness) while condemning others (e.g., perjury, bearing false witness). Is this an example of social hypocrisy or is there an underlying logic to this distinction? Back up your position with examples, and be sure to acknowledge the strengths of the opposing viewpoint.

Question 39

Explain the principle behind the motivation impairment effect. Provide a detailed example of motivation impairment.