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Detecting Dishonesty
Tip 1: Inconsistencies
"When you want to know if someone is lying, look for inconsistencies in what they are saying," says Newberry, who was a federal agent for 30 years and a police officer for five.
When the woman he was questioning said she ran and hid after hearing gunshots—without looking—Newberry saw the inconsistency immediately.
"There was something that just didn't fit," Newberry says. "She heard gunshots, but she didn't look? I knew that was inconsistent with how a person would respond to a situation like that." So when she wasn't paying attention, he banged on the table. She looked right at him.
"When a person hears a noise, it's a natural reaction to look toward it," Newberry tells WebMD. "I knew she heard those gunshots, looked in the direction from which they came, saw the shooter and then ran."
Sure enough, he was right.
"Her story was just illogical," Newberry says. "And that's what you should look for when you're talking to someone who isn't being truthful. Are there inconsistencies that just don't fit?"
"When you want to know if someone is lying, look for inconsistencies in what they are saying," says Newberry, who was a federal agent for 30 years and a police officer for five.
When the woman he was questioning said she ran and hid after hearing gunshots—without looking—Newberry saw the inconsistency immediately.
"There was something that just didn't fit," Newberry says. "She heard gunshots, but she didn't look? I knew that was inconsistent with how a person would respond to a situation like that." So when she wasn't paying attention, he banged on the table. She looked right at him.
"When a person hears a noise, it's a natural reaction to look toward it," Newberry tells WebMD. "I knew she heard those gunshots, looked in the direction from which they came, saw the shooter and then ran."
Sure enough, he was right.
"Her story was just illogical," Newberry says. "And that's what you should look for when you're talking to someone who isn't being truthful. Are there inconsistencies that just don't fit?"
Related Resources:
Related WebMD Resources:
SOURCES: Jenn Berman, PhD, psychologist, private practice, Beverly Hills, Calif. Paul Ekman, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology, University of California Medical School, San Francisco. J.J. Newberry, senior special agent (retired), U.S. Treasury Department; instructor, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Training Academy and Los Medanos College Police Academy. Maureen O'Sullivan, PhD, professor of psychology, University of San Francisco. Bartlett's Quotations on Bartleby website.
Reviewed on March 6, 2008
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