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Chapter 12
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Deception has several basic elements. Which of the following is NOT among them?
a. The sender must believe the information is false.
b. The receiver must believe the information is true.
c. The information must be transmitted knowingly.
d. The sender must intend to create a false belief in the receiver.
2. Misrepresenting facts for the purpose of material gain is known as
a. forgery.
b. impersonation.
c. fraud.
d. deception.
3. When Tonya’s boss asked her what time their meeting with the new client was, she replied
that it was set for that afternoon at 3:30. She was so certain that she did not bother to check
her calendar first. When Tonya and her boss arrived at the client’s office, the client was very
upset because she had been waiting for 30 minutes for their 3:00 meeting. Tonya then
checked her calendar, and sure enough, the meeting had been scheduled for 3:00. Which of
the following is true of this scenario?
a. Tonya lied to her boss, in order to avoid potential harm.
b. Tonya did not lie to her boss, because she didn’t mean for her boss to believe her.
c. Tonya lied to her boss, because she failed to check facts before making a statement.
d. Tonya did not lie to her boss, because she believed her statement was true.
4. What is meant by the statement, “Deception can serve as a social lubricant”?
a. People commonly engage in deception to get what they want from other people.
b. People commonly engage in deception to avoid hurting others’ feelings.
c. People commonly engage in deception in order to impress others.
d. People commonly engage in deception in order to increase their number of friends.
5. According to your text, which of the following is NOT a common reason for deception?
a. Some lies take advantage of others’ ignorance.
b. Some lies make you look better.
c. Some lies benefit the hearer.
d. Some lies amuse you.
6. Lying under oath is known as
a. fraud.
b. perjury.
c. omission.
d. dissimulation.
7. Which of the following forms of deception is an act of dissimulation?
a. exaggeration
b. falsification
c. sarcasm
d. equivocation
8. In her diary study, communication scientist Sandra Metts found that almost half of people’s
deception attempts involved which form of deception?
a. falsification
b. hyperbole
c. omission
d. exaggeration
9. When his girlfriend asks if he really loves her, Ramon gives her a vague, ambiguous
response. Which form of deception is he attempting?
a. fibbing
b. equivocation
c. exaggeration
d. falsification
10. Frank’s grandfather loved to fish. Every time he came back from the lake, he described
catching and releasing a bigger and bigger fish. We can infer from this story that Frank’s
grandfather likely engaged in
a. commission.
b. equivocation.
c. falsification.
d. exaggeration.
11. When Ronaldo shopped for his new flat-screen television, he was surprised at the cost
differences between some of the models. When he asked the salesperson for help, the
salesperson assured him that the lower-end models could display the same high-definition
channels as the more expensive ones. Because he was on a tight budget, Ronaldo took the
salesperson’s advice and bought a cheaper model. Only when he got his TV home did
Ronaldo realize that he needed to purchase an expensive converter box to actually receive
HD channels. Which of the following statements is true about this scenario?
a. The salesperson engaged in deception by lying.
b. The salesperson engaged in deception by falsification.
c. The salesperson engaged in deception by omission.
d. The salesperson engaged in deception by misleading.
12. Research indicates that the average person can detect deception approximately what
percentage of the time?
a. 25%
b. 40%
c. 55%
d. 73%
13. Which of the following contributes to people’s inability to detect deception accurately?
a. truth bias
b. focusing on the wrong nonverbal signals
c. the fact that questioning everything we hear takes too much energy
d. All of these contribute.
14. According to research, how do most people discover that they have been lied to?
a. The liar confesses.
b. A third party reveals the truth.
c. Circumstantial evidence incriminates the liar.
d. They investigate the evidence for themselves.
15. According to deception research, which of the following behavioral changes is a reliable cue
to deception?
a. increased smiling
b. reduced vocal pitch
c. decreased eye contact
d. decreased gesturing
16. Research shows that men are more likely than women to lie about which characteristic in an
online dating ad?
a. physical attractiveness
b. education level
c. age
d. ethnicity
17. According to research, an increase in which of the following nonverbal behaviors is
indicative of deception?
a. forward leans
b. genuine smiles
c. vocal fluency
d. blinking
18. Which of the following would tend to increase your chances of detecting deception?
a. being lied to by a friend instead of a stranger
b. being lied to by a highly motivated liar
c. being very suspicious
d. being lied to by a very expressive liar
19. How have researchers typically studied deceptive behaviors in cross-cultural environments?
a. They focus their research on the speaker’s vocal cues.
b. They focus their research on the speaker’s truthfulness quotient.
c. They focus their research on the speaker’s nonverbal cues.
d. They focus their research on the speaker’s eye movement specifically.
20. Which of the following statements could be an example of the Othello error?
a. A listener is so suspicious that he or she doubts someone else’s truthful statement.
b. People tend to look for deception in bad news more than in good news.
c. People tend to look for deception in good news more than in bad news.
d. A listener is so trusting of another that he or she does not evaluate the truthfulness of the
person’s statements.
Answer: a
Bloom’s: Understand
True/False Questions
21. Many forms of politeness and discretion involve being deceptive.
22. It is impossible to lie if everything you say is true.
23. It is possible to be deceptive without ever saying a word.
24. Deception done for the right reasons is not really deception.
25. Most people are quite good at detecting deception.
26. Our truth bias is usually stronger for friends than for strangers.
27. One of the most common ways people discover they’ve been lied to is from third-party
information.
28. Pupil dilation usually decreases when people are being deceptive.
29. Vocal characteristics are usually poor indicators of deception.
30. When lying to a stranger, one will usually be more successful doing so in a face-to-face
conversation than in an e-mail message.
Answer: True
Bloom’s: Remember
Short-Answer Questions
(Answers will vary.)
31. Explain the difference between omission and equivocation, and give concrete examples of
each.
Bloom’s: Understand
32. Explain the principle behind the motivation impairment effect. Provide a detailed example of
motivation impairment.
Bloom’s: Understand
33. Is it easier to detect deception from friends or strangers? Make an argument for each possible
outcome and then describe what research has found.
Bloom’s: Understand
34. How do the principles of interpersonal deception theory factor into the process of deception?
Bloom’s: Understand
35. Explain the difference between interactive and noninteractive contexts. Indicate which one
advantages deceivers when they are lying to strangers, and explain why.
Bloom’s: Understand
Essay Questions
(Answers will vary.)
36. Imagine that a “truth serum” existed that, when administered, would make everyone tell the
pure, unedited truth in all situations. In a brief essay, discuss the pros and cons of such a
product. Finish your essay with a conclusion in which you either support or condemn the
truth serum. Support your decision.
Bloom’s: Analyze
37. Deceiving others online is a fairly common practice, especially when it comes to online
dating services. Given what you’ve learned in this chapter and examples from the popular
media, discuss some of the dangers inherent in online communication. Next, consider this
question: Can people ever know for sure that someone is being honest with them online?
How can we detect deception in cyberspace?
Bloom’s: Analyze
38. Make an argument for why our society condones some forms of deception (e.g., those
involved in tact, discretion, politeness) while condemning others (e.g., perjury, bearing false
witness). Is this an example of social hypocrisy or is there an underlying logic to this
distinction? Back up your position with examples, and be sure to acknowledge the strengths
of the opposing viewpoint.
Bloom’s: Analyze
39. One lesson that research has taught us is that many of the average person’s beliefs about
deception are wrong (e.g., lack of eye contact is a good clue to deception; most people are
good at spotting deception; it is harder to lie to a suspicious person than an unsuspicious
one). Offer reasoned speculation as to why people’s beliefs about interpersonal deception are,
on average, so inaccurate. Consider the potential roles played by emotion, religion, the
media, and the mind or psyche.
Bloom’s: Analyze
