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  • This study examined whether embedding baselining within the Reality Interview (RI) protocol enhances intuitive veracity judgments. Baselining involves using a person’s truthful verbal behavior as a reference point for evaluating the veracity of subsequent statements. We hypothesized that access to a comparable truth baseline (CTB) would improve veracity judgment accuracy. Eyewitnesses of a mock crime were interviewed with the RI and instructed to respond either honestly or deceptively. Laypeople (Experiment 1) and police officers (Experiment 2) evaluated these statements with or without a CTB. With a CTB, laypeople showed significantly higher accuracy in detecting deception and a reduced truth bias. However, police officers showed no improvement, maintaining chance-level performance regardless of statement veracity. These findings suggest that CTBs enhance lie detection in laypeople but not in trained professionals. Future research should explore tailored approaches to improving veracity judgments, perhaps incorporating specific guidelines on how to best use available cues. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

  • Detecting deception is challenging; there exists no universal cue that gives away deceit and people vary greatly in how they communicate. One way to potentially improve deception detection is by comparing multiple responses of the same individual to identify verbal deviations – a method known as baselining. This study examined the impact of baselining embedded in a specific interview protocol to improve lie detection. Participants (N = 179) viewed mock crimes and were instructed to lie or tell the truth about what they witnessed. Next, they were interviewed including a truthful baseline (Reality Interview Modified: RIM), or no baseline (Reality Interview: RI; Structured Interview: SI). Results showed that truth tellers in the SI and RI conditions provided more details than liars during free recall, while no detail differences emerged for the RIM condition. Follow-up questions in all conditions showed truth tellers offered more details than liars. Surprisingly, we found no evidence that verbal deviations from a baseline can be used as effective indicators of deception. In sum, further research is needed to explore the best application of baselining for lie detection purposes.

Last update from database: 3/13/26, 4:15 PM (UTC)

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