During an investigative interview, one obvious challenge understood by investigative professionals alike is the possibility that the interview will try to engage in deception (Krivis,2013). This could be represented in the form of selective recall, outright lying, or the misrepresentation of facts. The result is that it hinders the investigator’s ability to draw a solid conclusion about the facts at hand. Therefore, it becomes important for an investigator to be able to detect and respond appropriately to signs of deception during an interview.
Traditionally, many interviewers over the years have accepted indicators of lying as fidgety hands, vocal stress, body posture, or not looking one in the face. Such training in behavioral detection techniques has rarely led practitioners to exceed 50% accuracy in lie detection. Certain researchers, on the other hand, offer more complex methods, claiming accuracy rates of 90% or higher (Goman, 2013). Regardless, the most current research reflects the recurring theme that “no one verbal cue indicates deception, but the probability of deception increases when clusters of deceptive indicators are present.” Moreover, practitioners who learn to watch for these combinations and interactions of deception cues have been known to significantly increase their accuracy in detecting deception.
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