Can intuition improve deception detection performance?

Justin S. Albrechtsen, University of Texas at El Paso
Christian A. Meissner, University of Texas at El Paso
Kyle J. Susa, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Two studies examined the role of processing style (intuitive vs. deliberative processing) in a deception detection task. In the first experiment, a thin slicing manipulation was used to demonstrate that intuitive processing can lead to more accurate judgments of deception when compared with traditional deliberative forms of processing. In the second experiment, participants who engaged in a secondary (concurrent) task performed more accurately in a deception detection task than participants who were asked to provide a verbal rationale for each decision and those in a control condition. Overall, the results converge to suggest that intuitive processing can significantly improve deception detection performance.