Chapter 34: Exercises

Comprehension Check

1. What is the average accuracy rate for human lie detection? How does it compare to chance? 2. Why don't "body language tells" (gaze aversion, fidgeting, face-touching) reliably indicate deception? 3. What did Ekman's microexpression research actually show vs. what the pop version claims? 4. How accurate are trained professionals (police, judges) at detecting lies? 5. What aspects of nonverbal communication do have evidence?

Application

6. Find a "body language secrets" video. List the claims. For each, check: is it supported by Bond & DePaulo (2006) or other deception research? 7. Watch a conversation (in person or on video) and try to determine if anyone is lying based on body language. How confident are you? (Remember: your confidence is probably unrelated to your accuracy.) 8. Apply the toolkit to: "Crossed arms always mean the person is being defensive." 9. Research the Reid Technique in interrogation. What body language cues does it rely on? What has it been criticized for? 10. Test the cluster hypothesis: observe someone expressing a strong emotion. Can you identify multiple cues (facial, vocal, postural) that converge? Does a single cue provide the same information as the cluster?

Critical Thinking

11. Police are trained in body language interpretation despite the evidence. What are the consequences for criminal justice? 12. If microexpression training improves lab detection but doesn't transfer to real-world lie detection, should it still be sold to law enforcement? 13. The body language industry generates millions in revenue. What does this tell you about the relationship between market demand and evidence? 14. Rapport-building nonverbals (mirroring, open posture) have modest evidence. Is "modest evidence" sufficient for using these in professional contexts? 15. Barrett challenges the universality of emotional expressions. If emotions aren't as universally expressed as Ekman claimed, what happens to the entire body language reading framework?

Fact-Check Portfolio

16. If any of your 10 claims involve reading people or detecting deception, update your evidence rating.