Table 1.

The cognitive load of lying versus truth telling.

SOME FACTORS ADDING TO THE COGNITIVE LOAD OF LYING*

Preparing a deceptive message

1. Does formation of the lie require that details be kept internally consistent (no contradictory information, Granhag and Hartwig, 2008)?

2. Is the narrative externally consistent (congruent with what the target knows; DePaulo et al., 2003)?

3. Is the narrative detailed enough with multimodal info., a realistic timeline, etc. to convince the target (Vrij et al., 2010a)?

4. Beyond going undetected, are lies based on the deceptive narrative likely to achieve the liar’s goal, for instance, obtaining money from a naïve target (Walczyk et al., 2012)?

Appearing sincere while delivering a deceptive message to the target

5. Is the motivation high to lie successfully (Vrij and Mann, 2001)?

6. Not taking credibility for granted, how much monitoring of and control over the self is the liar exercising to appear truthful and to stay in the deceptive role (Zuckerman et al., 1981; Buller and Burgoon, 1996; Vrij et al., 2010a)?

7. How much is the liar monitoring the target’s behavior to, see if the lie is believed (Buller and Burgoon, 1996; Vrij et al., 2008a, 2010a)?

8. Is the truth deeply entrenched, does it elicit strong emotions, or is honest responding well practiced so that proactive interference with deceptive responding occurs (Lane and Wegner, 1995; Morgan et al., 2009; Osman et al., 2009; Walczyk et al., 2009)?

9. Is an adequate deceptive narrative unavailable or is the lie unrehearsed (Vrij et al., 2010a)?

10. Is the liar highly anxious (Eysenck, 1992; Beilock and Carr, 2005)?

SOME FACTORS ADDING TO THE COGNITIVE LOAD OF TRUTH TELLING*

11. Does recalling the truth to working memory require retrieving memories that have not been accessed in a long time or details that have decayed (Anderson, 2000; Wixted, 2004)?

12. Is a lie well rehearsed compared to its corresponding truth (O’Hair et al., 1981; Greene et al., 1985)?

13. Does a truthful response require elaboration or qualification to be accurately understood by the target compared to a corresponding lie (Gombos, 2006)?

14. Does a truthful response require the generation of a novel opinion, judgment, evaluation, attitude, or emotional reaction (DePaulo, 1992; DePaulo et al., 2003; Gombos, 2006)?

15. Is the truth teller highly motivated to be believed (Van Koppen, 2012; Vrij and Granhag, 2012a,b)?

*These lists are not exhaustive.