Linguistic Cues of Deception Across Multiple Language Groups in a Mock Crime Context

Abstract

A recent study showed that specific linguistic and grammatical features of a technique commonly referred to as statement analysis are applicable across different language groups. One limitation of that study was that it used an eyewitness crime video paradigm, which might be different from writing a statement after committing an actual criminal act. We remedied that limitation by using a mock crime paradigm. In this study, three language groups (English, Spanish, and Chinese) produced statements after committing a mock crime, taking a check, in an experimental context. Certain linguistic features significantly discriminated truths from lies similarly across the different language groups, suggesting that statement analysis might be applicable as a reliable indicator of deception across languages. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jul 22, 2015
Source ID
10.1002/jip.1442

Entities

People

  • David Matsumoto
  • Hyisung C. Hwang
  • Vincent Sandoval

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • San Francisco State University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Education
  • Linguistics

Readers

  • Computational Linguistics
  • Criminal Law
  • Systems Analysis and Design