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Using Witness Confidence can Impair the Ability to Detect Deception

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, arnol031{at}bama.ua.edu

Amye R. Warren

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Prior research has shown that jurors rely on confidence in discriminating between accurate and inaccurate testimonies despite the weak relationship between the two. The purpose of this study is to learn if truth seekers also use confidence in judging truthfulness. In two studies, participants were either not given instructions regarding witness confidence or were told not to use witness confidence, and then they were asked to rate the believability of the videotaped testimony of four witnesses who varied in confidence and truthfulness. Regardless of the instructions, participants did rely on confidence and rated highly confident testimonies as more believable. They also rated false testimonies as significantly more believable than true statements.

Key Words: detecting deception • judgment • eyewitness testimony • confidence • juries • nonverbal communication • verbal communication

Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 32, No. 4, 433-451 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0093854805276406


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