This article concludes the serialization of the Royal Statistical Society's Schools Lecture for 2004, on "Lies and statistics".

The telling of lies is significant in fiction written for children, and is often (though not in all cases) performed by child protagonists. Lying can be examined from at least three perspectives: philosophical, moral and aesthetic. The moral and the aesthetic are the most significant for children's literature. Morality has been subtly dealt with…

A multi-informant study investigated the association between deception capacities and subtypes of aggression in a young early childhood sample (M=44.65 months of age, SD=13.39, N=64). A newly developed teacher report of deception had appropriate psychometric properties (reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity). Recently introduced…

Forensic versus traditional accounting and auditing are compared and contrasted. Evidence gathering is detailed. Forensic science and fraud symptoms are explained. Criminalists, expert testimony and corporate governance are presented.

In this article we describe how the Bush administration has used deceptive techniques and subterfuge to force its ideology upon the American people. We provide examples of similar techniques used to manipulate public opinion and national policy in three broad areas: national defense, science, and education. Our example from national defense…

The influence of gender on computer-mediated communication is a research area with tremendous growth. This study sought to determine what gender effects exist in email communication between professors and students. The study also explored the amount of lying and misinterpretation that occurs through online communication. The study results indicate…

Delinquent youth display weaker attachment to their parents than do other youth, but the reasons for this remain unclear. One explanation is that delinquent youth poison their relations with parents by lying to them about their friends, behavior, whereabouts, and more. Analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health…

A sensitive technique for assessing conformity on a ratio scale was designed and tested in one group of 18 naive subjects and one group of 20 volunteer subjects, 10 of whom were naive and 10 of whom were informed. All subjects were undergraduates from Thomas More College (New York). The experiment required subjects to observe a line briefly…

Investigates communication patterns and subsequent relational outcomes following romantic partners' deception for people with different attachment styles. Reveals that respondents (undergraduate students) with a secure attachment style were more likely to report talking about the issue, whereas anxious/ambivalents were more likely to report…

Explains the motivation impairment effect (MIE) hypothesis, in which deceivers who are highly motivated to succeed suffer detrimental effects on nonverbal performance yet facilitate effects on verbal performance for less motivated deceivers. Challenges this hypothesis by proposing motivation enhances verbal and nonverbal performance irrespective…

Explores the impact that the discovery of deception has upon emotional intensity, negativity of emotional reaction, and relational stability for individuals involved in relationships. Finds that the importance of the information that was lied about emerged as the strongest predictor of relational termination. (MG)

Investigated the ability of 56 children of 2-4 years to deceptively lead others into false beliefs. Results show that 2 1/2-year-olds already practice a variety of deceptive strategies that presuppose an operative theory of mind. (RJC)

Investigated what makes young children acknowledge a false belief held by another person. Showed movies in which a stereotypical item in a familiar box was replaced by one character with an atypical item. Found highly significant improvement in preschoolers' acknowledgment of second character's false belief when preschoolers saw stereotypical…

Examined deception and false-belief understanding in preschoolers following noncompliance. Found that over half of 3- and 5-year olds touched a prohibited toy during experimenter's absence and most denied it. Almost all preschoolers looked into a forbidden box, most denied it, and a minority consistently feigned ignorance of contents. False-belief…

Outlines the long history and the dangers of doublespeak--language that misleads, distorts, and deceives. Offers examples of doublespeak in euphemisms, "gobbledygook," and inflated language. Argues that doublespeak is carefully constructed to appear to communicate when its real purpose is to mislead, and notes its relationship to…