Episode 68: How To Catch A Liar

Tallinn University Student Podcast

Lies are everywhere, from harmless white lies to elaborate deceptions that shape history. In this episode of the TLU University Student Podcast, hosts dive into the psychology of lying, how to spot a liar, and the fine line between truth and deception. Featuring expert insights from Kristjan Kask, we explore verbal and non-verbal cues, famous lies that shook the world, and the science of lie detection. Tune in to uncover the truth — one lie at a time.

Kristjan Kask is an associate professor of legal psychology in Tallinn University. He completed his doctoral studies in the UK and has repeatedly been in the US as an exchange scholar. He has published popular science books in Estonian about investigative interviewing and eyewitness testimony. He is also teaching investigative interviewing skills to Estonian law enforcement personnel.

Bibliography:

Books

• Turvey, B. E., Savino, J. O., & Mares, A. C. (Eds.). (2018). False allegations: Investigative and forensic issues in fraudulent reports. Academic Press.

• Bachmann, T. (2015). Psühholoogia. Raamat juristile [Psychology: A book for lawyers]. Tallinn University Press.

• Kask, K., Bachmann, T. (Ed.), Olvet, T. (Ed.), & Maiste, P. (Designer). (2019). Kui seinad räägiksid: Küsitlemise kunst [If walls could talk: The art of interviewing]. Argo.

• Bunn, G. C. (2012). The truth machine: A social history of the lie detector. JHU Press. https://books.google.ee/books?hl=ru&lr=&id=dmd1By4pTGYC

Journal Articles

• Verigin, B. L., Meijer, E. H., Bogaard, G., & Vrij, A. (2019). Lie prevalence, lie characteristics and strategies of self-reported good liars. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225566

• Brennen, T., & Magnussen, S. (2020). Research on non-verbal signs of lies and deceit: A blind alley. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.613410

• Curtis, D. A., & Hart, C. L. (2019). Pathological lying: Theoretical and empirical support for a diagnostic entity. Practice Innovations, 4(4), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.prcp.20190046

Articles

• Kornet, A. (1997, May 1). The truth about lying: Deception is rampant—and sometimes we tell the biggest lies to those we love most. Psychology Today. Last reviewed on June 9, 2016.

• Comaford, C. (2020, October 17). Why we lie, and the neuroscience behind it. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2020/10/17/why-we-lie-and-the-neuroscience-behind-it

• Street, C. N., & Masip, J. (2015). The source of the truth bias: Heuristic processing? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 56(3), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12204

• Slovic, P., & Finucane, M. L. (2013). Affect heuristic. Progress in Brain Research, 202, 35-41. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/affect-heuristic

Background instrumental music is composed by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay.