Introduction to the Special Issue on Innovations in Nonverbal Deception Research: Promising Avenues for Advancing the Field

Abstract

Ekman and Friesen’s (1969) seminal theoretical paper on the leakage hierarchy sparked decades of research on the relationship between nonverbal cues and deception. Yet skepticism over the strength and reliability of behavioral cues to deception has been building over the years (DePaulo et al., 2003; Patterson et al., 2023; Vrij et al., 2019). However, the last two decades have seen dramatic growth in research paradigms, interviewing techniques, integration of technology, automated coding methods, and facial research, suggesting a need for reexamination of the current state of the field. This special issue includes theoretical and empirical papers that advance our understanding of the link between nonverbal cues and deception. This collection of papers suggests there is cause for some optimism in the field of nonverbal deception detection and signals some fruitful avenues for future research. Specifically, deception research in ecologically valid, high-stakes lie-detection situations using a multi-modal approach has good promise for differentiating truth-tellers from liars.