Deception and its Detection Under Synchronous and Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Communication

Abstract

As part of an ongoing research program investigating features of computer-mediated communication (CMC) that affect deception and its detection, an experiment was conducted to test the impact of synchronicity on communication processes, credibility assessments, deception detection, and team performance. At issue is whether various forms of CMC enable or deter successful deception. Synchronous (real-time) CMC was hypothesized to foster more involvement and mutuality during communication, more credibility for team members, and hence less detection of deception when it was present. Team performance was hypothesized to suffer under deception due to deceivers capitalizing on synchronous communication to build their credibility. Two-person teams conducted a decision-making task in real time (synchronous) or over the course of several days (asynchronous). In half of the pairs, one party was asked to be deceptive. The results indicated that participants in the synchronous mode were more involved, perceived more mutuality, and viewed their partners in a more favorable light, than participants in the asynchronous mode. Deceivers portrayed themselves as somewhat more credible than truthtellers. However, they were not perceived as more persuasive than truth-tellers. Participants in the deceptive con-123 346 J. K. Burgoon et al. dition made poorer decisions than participants in the truthful condition. Implications for CMC and future study are discussed.

Rejoinder to Levine, Clare et al.'s Comparison of the Park-Levine Probability Model Versus Interpersonal Deception Theory: Application to Deception Detection

“…Thus, I will begin this rejoinder with a necessarily cursory overview of those aspects of IDT that are most relevant to the arguments at hand. Inasmuch as the 1996 publication was explicitly described as a work in progress, I urge the interested reader to consult more recent chapters (Burgoon, ; Burgoon & Buller, , , ) and experiments (e.g., Burgoon, Chen & Twitchell, ; Burgoon, Proudfoot, Wilson, & Schuetzler, ; Derrick, Meservy, Jenkins, Burgoon, & Nunamaker, ; Dunbar, Jensen, Tower, & Burgoon, ; Dunbar et al, ; Fuller, Biros, Burgoon, & Nunamaker, ; Twyman, Elkins, Burgoon, & Nunamaker, ) for the most current statement of the theory and empirical tests that have confirmed (or disconfirmed) various aspects of it.…”

Social Work, Technology, and Ethical Practices: A Review and Evaluation of the National Association of Social Workers’ Technology Standards

“…In a survey of e-therapy users, eight in ten users reported using the internet to look up the credentials of their therapist (Lehavot, Barnett, & Powers, 2010). Studies relating to online deception and misrepresentation have found that those who use the Internet regularly were more likely verify information that may be taken for granted in face-to-face interactions and people were easily able to verify and dispute what they believed to be deceptive practices (Burgoon, Chen & Twitchell, 2010).…”

Media Effects on Group Collaboration: An Empirical Examination in an Ethical Decision‐Making Context

“…Prior research has argued that higher immediacy of feedback leads to better coordination among group members and helps to create a shared frame of reference (Dennis et al, 2008). This assertion has also been supported by multiple studies that argue that greater immediacy of feedback implies greater involvement and mutuality between group members and thus enables the group to reach convergence (Walther, Loh, & Granka, 2005;Burgoon et al, 2010). An efficient convergence within the group leaves members with higher levels of mutuality and commonality in the frame of reference, thus providing a satisfying interaction experience with the other group members (Sarker & Sahay, 2004).…”

“…Parallelism gives every group member equal participation opportunity, resulting in each group members experiencing more satisfaction with the process (Kiesler & Sproull, 1992, p. 108). Further, past research has also highlighted the view that owing to the efficient sharing of ideas in a parallel media, groups using such media typically perform tasks better (Burgoon, Chen, & Twitchell, 2010). Thus, we hypothesize as follows.…”