1. Interpersonal Deception Theory (David Buller and Judee Burgoon)
COM 452
University of Kentucky
Summer, 2010

2. In a nutshell…
Communication senders manipulate messages so as to be untruthful, which might cause them apprehension concerning their false communication being detected.
Simultaneously, receivers try to unveil or detect the validity of that information, causing suspicion about whether or not the sender is being deceitful.

3. Strategies of Deception
Falsification – creating a fiction
Concealment – hiding the truth
Equivocation – dodging the issue

4. Aspects of Deceptive Messages
Central deceptive message (usually verbal)
Ancillary message (includes verbal and nonverbal aspects) that usually reveal truthfulness
Inadvertent behaviors (mostly nonverbal) that point out the sender’s deceit through “leakage”

5. IDT as a Theory of Thoughtful Interaction
Interpersonal communication is interactive, so we need to study both sides of that interaction, including each party’s adjustments
18 axioms
Strategic deception as thoughtful; cognitive overload can cause leakage

6. Manipulating Information
Deceiver must
Accomplish goal
Establish/maintain relationship with respondent
Save face/sustain image
Message characteristics of strategic intent
Uncertainty and vagueness
Nonimmediacy, reticence, and withdrawal
Disassociation
Image-and relationship-protecting

7. Leakage Unconscious behaviors can signal dishonesty
Zuckerman’s four-factor model explains leakage occurs
Intense effort yields performances that are too slick
Lying causes psychological arousal
Guilt and anxiety emerge
Cognitive behaviors tax the brain, leading to unintentional nonverbal responses

8. What about the respondent?
Truth bias
Suspicion is a mid-range mindset, between truth and falsity
Verbal and nonverbal tactics make listeners wary
Use indirect means to get more information when we doubt speakers

9. Deceiver adjustment
Deceivers notice suspicion better than receivers notice deception (usually)
Deceivers usually model the mood and manner of their targets
“Othello error” – occurs when truth-tellers accused of deception respond in a manner that appears devious

10. Critique: Does it have to be so complicated?
Multiple explanations for what happens during deceptive communication
Other theories are more concise
Lacking in explanatory power?
Strength comes from its practical advice
No mention of the morality of deception