We live in an era when individuals, organizations and even communities constantly lie and deceive others; in turn, these groups of people are lied to and deceived. Because of the pervasiveness of lying and deceptive behavior, individuals and groups frequently complain of being routinely cheated or duped. Leaked documents detailing deception tactics, WikiLeaks and revelations about large-scale deception, contribute to the perception that there exists a culture of lying This collection brings together deception scholars from around the world, coming from the various academic disciplines and sub-disciplines with different approaches and perspectives to contribute to answering the question about what constitutes lying and deception, its motivations and behavioral control. For instance, when is deception a deception; when do you know that someone is lying to you? Can certain forms of deceptive communication amount to communicative competence? Can we indeed control deception? Hence, the chapters written by experts (most of them full-time professors) have examined theoretical and conceptual issues in deception studies, as well as case studies of deceptive communication and behavior. Topics such as Kantian absolute prohibition against lying; neurocognitive elements to build a cognitive model to analyze deception; the results of a competency test on judgements of child witness credibility; medical students deceptive behaviors in two medical schools; strategic deception in the age of truthiness; online deception through email business scams; and beauty and deception will certainly be of immense interest to deception scholars, students and practitioners in psychology, forensic linguistics, sociology, security studies, applied linguistics, journalism and communication/media studies. This book is therefore highly recommended to be used as a resource book or handbook to students and scholars of deception studies and all others, whose research interests include deceptive behavior, deception detection and control.

Deception and truth-telling weave through the fabric of nearly all human interactions and every communication context. The Palgrave Handbook of Deceptive Communication unravels the topic of lying and deception in human communication, offering an interdisciplinary and comprehensive examination of the field, presenting original research, and offering direction for future investigation and application. Highly prominent and emerging deception scholars from around the world investigate the myriad forms of deceptive behavior, cross-cultural perspectives on deceit, moral dimensions of deceptive communication, theoretical approaches to the study of deception, and strategies for detecting and deterring deceit. Truth-telling, lies, and the many grey areas in-between are explored in the contexts of identity formation, interpersonal relationships, groups and organizations, social and mass media, marketing, advertising, law enforcement interrogations, court, politics, and propaganda. This handbook is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, academics, researchers, practitioners, and anyone interested in the pervasive nature of truth, deception, and ethics in the modern world.

What types of communication are considered deceptive? What characteristics do researchers look for when investigating deceptive communication? The culmination of more than 15 years of collaborative research, Deceptive Communication explores the flip-side of "truth" in 20th century society. Synthesizing their own research and recent findings from other scholars, Miller and Stiff highlight nonverbal cues and other deception detection devices, situational factors affecting detection accuracy, and ethical considerations in the conduct of deception research. In addition, they clearly describe the methods employed in conducting research on deception and provide suggestions for future investigations. Deceptive Communication will serve as a useful resource for students and scholars interested in interpersonal communication and persuasion. "To say this book addresses one of the most significant and pervasive social phenomena of our age is not hyperbole. . . . The subject of this book is more than a treatise on an important social issue; it is a book that goes to the very heart of communication studies. . . . Miller and Stiff have done a superb job of critically reviewing the theoretical perspectives and research findings, but more important, this book makes the reader think hard about difficult issues. . . . A book which asks us to consider this perplexing co-existence of two seemingly contrary forces like truth and deception performs a valuable service. . . . It weighs the value of past theories and research methods and sets an agenda for future work." --from the Introduction by Mark L. Knapp

This book employs a discourse analytical approach to the study of deception. It focuses on the deceptive messages themselves - how language is used to deceive others and what kinds of linguistic devices are used. The author develops a theory of deception based on his study of debates and interviews of American and British politicians.

Credibility assessment refers to any attempt to ascertain truthfulness. Other terms which have been used to refer to the assessment of credibility include the detection of deception and lie detection. The term lie detection has become virtually synonymous with the use of the polygraph and can no longer be used to refer to the range of procedures currently employed to assess credibility. Also, both lie detection and the detection of deception have a negative cast which does not fully capture the orientation of current approaches to credibility. Consequently, the term credibility assessment has emerged recently as the preferred label. The goal of credibility assessment is typically the determination of the truth of a statement or be found in set of statements. The need or desire to make such an assessment can every human context from marital relations through clinical examinations to police and court interrogations. Examples of the kinds of statements which require credibility assessment are: 1) A child's assertion that she or he has been sexually abused. 2) The claim by a previously suicidal person that he or she has recovered and will not attempt suicide again. 3) The denial of guilt by a suspect in a criminal investigation. 4 ) The confident statement of a witness that he or she is sure in his or her identification of a thief. 5) The vow of loyalty by a potential employee for a security job. It is necessary to assess the credibility of these and similar statements.

This volume presents a conceptualization of the phenomena of lying and deception, manifested in some well-known constructions like spin, hype, doublespeak, equivocation, and contextomy (quoting out of context). With chapters from leading-edge researchers offering innovative perspectives, this volume will appeal to scholars, researchers, and advanced/graduate students in communication, media, and psychology.