The Impact of Genetics and Training on Deception Detection Performance

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the genetic basis of deception detection performance using the classic twin study design. A synthesis of current literature on twin studies and deception detection suggests a genetic basis for deception detection performance may exist. An experiment was conducted to examine the genetic basis for deception detection, and the moderating effect of training on improvement in deception detection performance. One hundred and ninety two twins participated in the experiment, with 65 pairs of monozygotic (MZ; identical) twins and 31 pairs of dizygotic (DZ; fraternal) twins. Performance on a series of deception detection tasks revealed that variability in deception detection performance was largely determined by shared and non-shared environmental influences. Moreover, declarative training significantly moderated change in deception detection performance. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to both academic research and fraud prevention practices.

Keywords: Deception Detection, Lie Detection, Fraud Investigation, Investigation, Interview, Genetic Analysis, Twin Study