Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law) [Paperback]

Aldert Vrij (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047185316X | ISBN-13: 978-0471853169 | Publication Date: March 14, 2000 | Edition: 1

Why do people lie, and how can lies be detected? There is now a substantial psychological literature relating to these fundamental questions, and this book reviews the relevant research on lying and detection in detail, focusing on guidelines for best practices in detecting deception.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Highly recommended ..."  ( Expert Evidence, Vol. 7, 1999)

..."very well written....the book should prove to be an invaluable   contribution to the field"...  (Applied Cognitive Psychology,   No.15, 200)

..the book begins in an amusing manner by challenging us to think about examples of famous lies and liars...a comprehensive range of guidelines and concrete suggestions for lie detection techniques are provided..extremely logical and coherently designed chapters … thoroughness and thought that has gone into the writing and presentation of the material..." (Criminal Justice, Vol.1, No. 3, 2001)

"…This book provides a wealth of insight…" (Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, February 2003)

" … an invaluable contribution to the scientific literature on deceiption." (Journal Of Community and Applied Social Psychology, April 2006)

From the Back Cover

Why do people lie, and how can lies be detected? There is now a substantial psychological literature relating to these fundamental questions, and this book reviews the relevant knowledge in detail, before focusing on guidelines for best practice in detecting deception. Psychological research is now available on individual differences in lying behaviour (gender differences, age differences and personality). There is also interesting research evidence of the ways in which deception is reflected both in real objective non-verbal behaviour and also in the perceived non-verbal cues which can help or mislead the observer in detecting deception. Although the book does include a major survey of the physiological aspects of deception and the polygraph as a method of detection, it also includes a thorough review of current knowledge of content analysis and validity assessment of speech and written statements. The book ends by discussing how professionals can improve lie detection by focusing on key aspects of the behaviour of the liar and by awareness and control of their own behaviour.

• Covers all three aspects of deception?non-verbal cues, speech and written statement analysis, and physiological responses
• Focuses on the behaviour and perceptions of the observer which can hinder the process of detection
• Based on the author?s expert review of the research and evidence, and on his practical experience and connections with several police forces

"Without doubt, this book is the most important contribution to research and practice in lie detection to be published in years. For the first time research about verbal, nonverbal and physiological correlates of truth telling and deception are reviewed comprehensively in one text. This book will benefit those who have to decide whether people are telling the truth or lying, because it both reviews contemporary research and provides practical guidelines." Frans Willem Winkel, Free University of Amsterdam President EAPL (European Association of Psychology and Law) This book is aimed at students, academics and professionals in psychology, criminology, policing and law.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047185316X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471853169
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of psychological literature on deception, August 19, 2001

By 

"randrave" (New City, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law) (Paperback)

This is an extraordinary book, a well-written and clear survey of the psychological literature on deception written by one of the leaders in the field. Extremely thorough, and although sophisticated enough for professionals it is nevertheless useful for students and non-psychologists. As a lawyer and academic who writes on psychology and the law, I found it enormously helpful in preparing an article on the admissibility of expert testimony on lie-detection techniques. Having written on the subject before, and being more adept at legal rather than psychological research, I was thrilled to find such a clear and thorough collection of sources and commentary on the myriad social science research on lie-detection, and have already used the book's index to locate and look up numerous studies with which I was previously unfamiliar.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detecting Lies & Deceipt, October 4, 2002

By 

CLIFTON K COETZEE (SANDTON, GAUTENG South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law) (Paperback)

I found this book to the most informative and useful reference of all those I have read regarding the subject and techniques relating to detecting deception by means of statement analysis in it's various forms. Easy to read. Easy to understand. It will remain a guide to forensic investigators, polygraphists and the like for many years to come.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A rip off, May 10, 2011

By 

Richard S. Carter (Indiana, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law) (Kindle Edition)

As a psychologist, I purchased this book expecting a thorough presentation of the topic and for the price of $153.98, I expected a text book. Instead I received a 225 page paper back which barely touches on the topics listed in the table of contents.

I purchased at the same time, Paul Ekman's Telling Lies, Clues to Deceipt in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage. This book contained 385 pages and extensively delves into each topic. Not only is it better written, but the cost of this book was $10.49. To pay 14.7 times the price of this book for the Aldert Virj book was a rip-off. The seller still has not replied to my request to return this book.

Richard S. Carter, Ph.D.