Plausibility: A Verbal Cue to Veracity worth Examining?

• DOI: 10.5093/ejpalc2021a4
• Publication Date: 2020-12-09T16:12:43Z
• Authors: Aldert Vrij; Haneen Deeb; Sharon Leal; Pär-Anders Granhag; Ronald P. Fisher
• Keywords: verifiable sources; Deception; Complications; complications; K5000-5582; 05 social sciences; RCUK; Plausibility; Verifiable sources; BF1-990; deception; Criminal law and procedure; details; plausibility; Psychology; ESRC; Details; 0509 other social sciences; ES/N009614/1

Truth tellers sound more plausible than lie tellers. Plausibility ratings do not require much time or cognitive resources, but a disadvantage is that it measured subjectively on Likert scales. The aim of the current paper was to understand if plausibility can be predicted by three other verbal veracity cues objectively counting their frequency occurrence: details, complications, and verifiable sources. If these objective could predict plausibility, observers instructed pay attention them when judging which would make somewhat objective. We therefore re-analysed five existing datasets; all included details complications two also sources as dependent variables. positively correlated with tested cues, mostly sources, explaining average almost 40% variance. showed larger effect sizes in distinguishing truth from perhaps because cue consists multiple components (complications sources). Research has shown strongest relationship typically consisted components.