A Few Transparent Liars Explaining 54% Accuracy in Deception Detection Experiments

Deception detection experiments consistently find that people are statistically significantly, but only slightly, better than chance. The stability of this finding and the lack of variance in judge ability are at odds with current and classic deception theory that explains accuracy in terms of message recipient’s ability to spot leaked deception cues. An alternative explanation based on limited variance in message source transparency provides a more coherent account of deception detection findings and has important implications for past and future deception theory.