Can You Lie in Front of a Mirror? An Evaluation of Self-Awareness During an Interrogation

• In Event: Police Interviews and Interrogations

Abstract

One-way mirrors are often found in many interrogation rooms. However, the effects of mirrors on liars and truth-tellers are largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of increased self-awareness on liars and truth-tellers during an interview using 88 participants that were randomly assigned in a 2 (veracity: truth vs. lie) by 2 (mirror: presence vs. absence) experiment. Participants were asked to tell lies or the truth in a given condition. The study was in two folds. First, the psychological effects, namely arousal, behavioral control, and cognitive load were tested using a questionnaire and analyzed with ANOVA. The second fold consisted of observing visible and vocal cues during the interview. The analyses of the self-report data showed that the presence of a mirror magnified psychological differences between liars and truth-tellers. The analyses of behavioral cues revealed that the presence of a mirror played a role as a double-edged sword. The results supported mirror’s potential value as a lie-detection tool. Additionally, we discuss the caution for false-alarms and optimal strategies for applying mirror’s effects in interrogation contexts.

Authors

• Leo Yang, Indiana University Bloomington

• S. H Choi, Korea University

• S. E Choi, Korea University

• T. K Hur, Korea University