344K(06805)
T CMS TH 9:30-11, WEL 1.308 Instructor: Teaching Assistants: Required Readings: Matthew McGlone Nick Merola Valerie Thatcher
LYING AND DECEPTION
e-mail [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] Office CMA A7.268 UA9 4.118D
SPRING 2009
Office Hours T TH 1-2:30 W 12-3 T 11-2
Knapp, M.L. (2008). Lying and deception in human interaction. Boston, MA: Penguin Academics. Several additional short required readings are available via eReserves (password: lying).
Description: Deception occurs in communication behavior across species, and lying (i.e., intentional deception) is a pervasive phenomenon in human communication. This course explores the varieties of deceptive communication, their causes and consequences in a wide range of contexts (advertising, art, interspecies contact, family and romantic relationships, journalism, mass media, politics, etc.), and the strategies used to detect their occurrence (behavioral cues, polygraphs, etc.). Objectives: This course will teach you about the processes by which people attempt to deceive others and/or themselves. You will learn about communicative processes involved in specific deception phenomena such as doublespeak, equivocation, false advertising, forgery, political spin, and white lies, among others. You will also learn how to think independently, systematically, and skeptically about social scientific research. The latter goal will require that you take an active role in the learning process. Course Structure: My lectures will proceed from the assumption that you have prepared for class by reading and thinking about the book chapter, article, and/or video(s) I assigned for a particular day. However, my lectures will not reduplicate the reading or viewing assignments. But please do bring up questions if you have difficulties with them. Academic Honesty: The University, the College of Communication, and the Department of Communication Studies are committed to preserving the reputation of your degree. It means a lot to you. In order to guarantee that your degree means what we tell parents, employers, graduate schools, and professional (business, law, medical, pharmacy) schools it means, we must enforce a strict policy that guarantees the work you turn in is your own and the grades you receive measure your personal achievements in your classes. The policy is as follows: Every piece of work that you turn in with your name on it must be yours and yours alone unless explicitly allowed by an instructor in a particular class. Specifically, unless otherwise authorized by an instructor: Students may not discuss their work with anyone except the instructor or TA Students may not use material from any source (e.g., another student, an internet site, book, magazine, newspaper, and many others I have not mentioned) without acknowledging use of this material in quotation marks or an APA style source citation; if you dont know what Im talking about, ask your TA BEFORE you turn in the assignment in question; ignorance of quotation or citation style is not an acceptable excuse for plagiarism and you will be reported to the Dean of Students.
You are responsible for complying with this policy in two ways: 1) You must not turn in work that is not yours. 2) You must not enable someone else to turn in work that is not theirs. Do not share your work with anyone else. Make sure that you adequately protect all your course-relevant files and papers. Even after you have finished this class, do not share your work with the students who come after you. They need to do their work on their own. IMPORTANT: The penalty for academic dishonesty will be a course grade of F and a referral of the case to the Dean of Students Office. Further penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the University may be imposed by that office. Weekly Quizzes: Your understanding of the topics covered in the readings and discussed in class will be assessed in 12 weekly quizzes; there is no mid-term or final examination in this course. Quizzes will take place from 9:35 to 9:45 on Thursdays. You will not be granted extra time for the quiz if you show up late for class, regardless of your excuse. Each quiz will assess your memory for the readings assigned and topics discussed in class sessions prior to the last quiz, including those on the day of the quiz. I will drop your two lowest quiz scores when computing your final grade. You will not be allowed to make up a missed quiz under any circumstances whatsoever. If you miss one quiz, you can drop it. If you miss another, you can drop that one too. But if you miss three or more, you will receive a score of zero (0) for the third and subsequent quizzes you miss. The final quiz (held on the last class day, May 7th ) is mandatory you must take this quiz, even if you are planning to drop it. You will not be allowed to drop the final quiz unless you actually take it. Quiz grades will be posted weekly in eGradebook. I encourage you to check eGradebook regularly to keep up with your performance in class. Direct all questions about quiz grades to TAs Nick Merola and Valerie Thatcher.
Structured Interview Reports: You will conduct three structured interviews with other people about deception and then write up their responses and your observations in short reports. The overall idea of this assignment is for you to get exposure to the experiences and beliefs of other people in such a way that it helps you reflect on and sort through your own beliefs about deception. Instructions for conducting the interviews are provided on the attached sheets. You should follow the instructions on each interview sheet and record the answers given to you. Do not simply give the interview sheet to someone and tell them to fill it out. This does not constitute an interview. In most cases, you will want to add questions and probes that are not on the interview sheet in order to learn more about the interviewees beliefs, but only answers to the questions listed need to be recorded. Sometimes you will get an interviewee who does not provide you with much information. In some of those cases, you can use the persons reticence as the basis for your analysis of the interview. In other cases, you might want to get another interviewee. In order to do an A interview, you are advised not to put it off until the last minute. Your interview reports must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced (NOT double-spaced) on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper with 1 inch margins on all sides. Reports must contain each of the questions posed and the answers provided (accurate, detailed summaries if not verbatim responses). Each interview report is worth 10 points and must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day it is due (see class schedule for specific dates), else you will receive a 20% penalty for every day that it is late. A 10% penalty will apply to any report turned in later in the day (e.g., at the end of class or later in the afternoon) on the day it is due. No penalty-free extensions will be granted for late papers under any circumstances, so please dont waste your time or ours by asking. In addition to late penalties, reports will also be penalized if they: are not typed, spell-checked, or grammar-checked do not meet one or more specifications for the assignment contain conclusions drawn from the recorded answers to the interview questions are not warranted contain interview responses that lack depth due to lack of probing have learning sections consisting of clichs or feeble attempts to please the instructor--for example, I learned that lying is really important when two people communicate have learning sections too imprecise, abstract, and/or lacking in depth of analysis
Homework Videos: You are expected to watch approximately 4.5 hours of videos outside of class, all of which you can access electronically via Blackboard. You should treat these the same way you do reading material for this course: Be sure you view the video before we discuss it in class (see class schedule for specific dates videos will be discussed) and take notes while you watch and during our class discussion. In addition to the homework videos you will watch outside of class, there will be numerous videos that I show during class sessions. The only way to view in-class videos is to actually come to class you will not have online access to in-class videos. The content of homework and in-class videos is fair game for quizzes. Posting of Course Materials on Blackboard: The materials I use in lecture will consist mainly of PowerPoint slides and video clips. I will post my slides on Blackboard the afternoon after the class in which I use them. I typically dont finish my slides until right before class begins, so please dont ask me to post the slides before class. As mentioned above, the video clips I show in class will not be posted online, although the homework videos will be. You may be able to find some of the in-class videos I use on YouTube, but dont count on it, nor ask me to help you find them. Extra Credit: To earn extra credit in this course, you can participate in IRB-approved research studies conducted by faculty and students in the Department of Communication Studies (note: participation in studies conducted in any other department Psychology, Advertising, Human Ecology, etc. will NOT earn you extra credit in this course). You will receive one point of extra credit for every hour of participation and may earn a maximum of three (3) points. Most studies in CMS require less than an hour of participation, and so the credit you earn for these studies will be prorated accordingly (e.g., a 30-minute study will earn you point of extra credit). You will only receive extra credit if genuine documentation of your participation is delivered to me by the researcher conducting the study. Direct all questions about extra credit to Nick and Valerie.
Course Component Weekly Quizzes (10 @ 10 points) Interviews (3 @ 10 points each) Total
Point Value 100 30 130
Grade Scale 130 117 A 116 104 B 103 91 C 90 78 D below 78 F
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CLASS SCHEDULE
Week Topic Introduction
TH 1/22 T 1/27 Knapp, Chapter 1 Knapp, Chapter 2 Homework Video: Eyewitness Testimony, 12 min. Lynch, M.P. (2004). Who cares about the truth? Chronicle of Higher Education, 51, B6-11. Knapp, Chapter 3 Homework Video: Ethics in America: Public Trust, Private Interests, 54 min. Miller, F.G., Wendler, D., & Swartzmann, L.C. (2005). Deception in research on the placebo effect. Public Library of Science (Medicine), 2, 853-859. Knapp, Chapter 4 (p.69-79) Ledford, H. (2007). The flower of seduction. Nature, 445, 816817. Homework Video: Deception by Animals, Fish, & Insects, 20 min. Knapp, Chapter 4 (p. 79-88) Knapp, Chapter 5 Gopnik, A. (2005). Death of a fish. The New Yorker, 81(19), 42-47. Knapp, Chapter 6 Carey, B. (2007, November 20). Denial makes the world go around. New York Times, B11-12. Knapp, Chapter 7 Goldberg, J. (2007). Annals of spin: Selling Wal Mart. The New Yorker, 83 (6), 32-39. Hancock, J., & Toma, C. (in press). Lying for love in the modern age: Deception in online dating. In M.S. McGlone & M.L. Knapp (Eds.), The interplay of truth and deception. New York: Routledge. Chance, Z., & Norton, M.I. (in press). I read Playboy for the articles: Justifying and rationalizing questionable preferences. In M. S. McGlone & M. L. Knapp (Eds.), The interplay of truth and deception. New York: Routledge. Interview #1 Date T 1/20
Readings and Class Activities
Assignments Due Relax its the first week!
1 2
Truth and Reality
TH 1/29 T 2/3
Quiz #1
3
Ethics of Lying and Truthtelling
TH 2/5 T 2/10 TH 2/12
Quiz #2
4
Nonhuman Deception Learning about Lying: Children and Deception Fooling Yourself: Self Deception
Quiz #3
T 2/17 TH 2/19 T 2/24 TH 2/26 T 3/3
5 6
Quiz #4
7
Ways to Lie
TH 3/5 Quiz #5
8
T 3/10
More Ways to Lie
TH 3/12
Quiz #6
9
SPRING BREAK
T 3/17 TH 3/19
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T 3/24
10
Expert Liars
TH 3/26 T 3/31
Knapp, Chapter 8 Homework Video: Unmasking the Secrets of Deception: Faith Healer; Psychic ; Crop Circles, 14 min. Grann, D. The chameleon. The New Yorker, 84(24), 69-79. Homework Video: Hoaxes Revealed: Sasquatch, Nessie, Alien Autopsy, 45 min. Knapp, Chapter 9 Levine, T.R., & Kim, R.J. (in press). Some considerations for a new theory of deceptive communication. In M.S. McGlone & M.L. Knapp (Eds.), The interplay of truth and deception. New York: Routledge. Knapp, Chapter 10 Homework Video: Polygraphs, 19 min. Talbot, M. (2008). Duped. The New Yorker, 83(18), 52-61. Knapp, Chapter 11 Cannon, C.M. (2007). Untruth and consequences. The Atlantic Monthly, 299, 56-67. Knapp, Chapter 12 Homework Video: Case Studies in Public Deception, 36 min. AND Fake Documentaries, 12 min. Jackson, B. (in press). Finding the weasel word in literally true. In M.S. McGlone & M.L. Knapp (Eds.), The interplay of truth and deception. New York: Routledge. McGlone, M.S. (in press). Deception via selective quotation. In M.S. McGlone & M.L. Knapp (Eds.), The interplay of truth and deception. New York: Routledge. Knapp, Chapter 13 Special Guest Lecturer: Mark L. Knapp, Dean of Deceit Gopnik, A. (2008). The real work. The New Yorker, 84, 56-69. Special Guest Lecturer: Cody Fisher, Master Magician Penny, L. (2005). Youre soaking in it. Selection from Your call is important to us: The truth about bullshit. New York: Crown. Knapp, Epilogue
Interview #2
Quiz #7
11
Lie Detection By Humans Lie Detection by Technology Deception in Politics
TH 4/2 T 4/7 TH 4/9 T 4/14 TH 4/16 T 4/21
Quiz #8
12 13
Quiz #9 Quiz #10
14
Deception in Mass Media
TH 4/23
Interview #3
T 4/28
15 16
Visual Deception Living with Lying
TH 4/30 T 5/5
Quiz #11
TH 5/7
Quiz #12
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INTERVIEW #1, Option #1 PARENT
Note: You may do Option #1 or Option #2 for Interview #1, not both. Instructions for Conducting Interview Interview a parent of a child who is at least seven years old and not older than twenty. You may not interview your own parents or any other relatives (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc.). At the beginning of the interview, read the interview introduction paragraph below to your interviewee. If after listening to the introduction the interviewee indicates that s/he would like to continue, then pose the following seven questions and record the answers. DO NOT simply give the interview sheet to someone and tell them to fill it out. This does not constitute an interview. In most cases, you will to want add questions and probes that are not on the interview sheet in order to learn more about the interviewees beliefs, but only answers to the questions listed need to be recorded. Sometimes, you will get an interviewee who does not provide you with much information. In some of those cases, you can use the persons reticence as the basis for your analysis of the interview. In other cases, you might want to get another interviewee. Introduction (to be read verbatim to interviewee): Im taking a class at UT that deals with the way people communicate honestly and dishonestly. For one of my assignments, I need to conduct an interview with a parent about honesty and dishonesty in raising children. All the information will be kept completely confidential and no names will ever be used in connection with this information. I do need your name and phone number, though, in case my instructor wants to verify my having conducted this interview. 1. Did your child ever lie to you? 2. If so, about what? 3. How did you deal with it? 4. Did you ever lie to your child? 5. If so, about what? 6. What is the most important thing to teach children about honesty? 7. What is the best way to teach children about honesty? Instructions for Preparing Interview Report Your interview report must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced (NOT double-spaced) on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. The report must consist of the following sections: a.) Interviewee Background: Write a short paragraph identifying the person you interviewed and describing how you selected this person. Also provide a phone number for this person so that we can verify that the interview actually took place. b.) Questions and Answers: In this section you will report the interviewees answers to your questions. Report these answers in separate paragraphs that begin with the question posed in bold (e.g., Q: Did your child ever lie to you?) followed by the answer provided in italics (but not bold). c.) Learning: This section should consist of 2-3 paragraphs describing what you learned from conducting the interview. The best way to prepare this section is to analyze your interviewees responses in light of the concepts we are discussing in class. The worst way to prepare this section is to use clichs or to draw vapid, superficial conclusions like this interview taught me how common lying is in communication. Please review the information on page 2 of the syllabus regarding grounds for point penalties (late papers, poor spelling or grammar, etc.). Please consult the class schedule on pages 3 and 4 for the assignment due date. We will not grade your report unless complete and accurate background and contact information is provided. If we determine that you have falsified any of the information in your report, you will receive a 0 for this assignment and we will file a formal charge of academic dishonesty against you to the Dean of Students.
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INTERVIEW #1, Option #2 CHILD
Note: You may do Option #1 or Option #2 for Interview #1, not both. Instructions for Conducting Interview Interview a child who is between the ages of l0 and l5. You may not interview any children who are your relatives (siblings, cousins, sons, daughters, etc.). At the beginning of the interview, read the interview introduction paragraph below to your interviewee. If after listening to the introduction the interviewee indicates that s/he would like to continue, then pose the following seven questions and record the answers. DO NOT simply give the interview sheet to someone and tell them to fill it out. This does not constitute an interview. In most cases, you will want to add questions and probes that are not on the interview sheet in order to learn more about the interviewees beliefs, but only answers to the questions listed need to be recorded. Sometimes, you will get an interviewee who does not provide you with much information. In some of those cases, you can use the persons reticence as the basis for your analysis of the interview. In other cases, you might want to get another interviewee. Introduction (to be read verbatim to interviewee): Im taking a class at UT that deals with the way people communicate honestly and dishonestly. For one of my assignments, I need to conduct an interview with a person about communication between parents and their children. All the information will be kept completely confidential and no names will ever be used in connection with this information. Your parents will not know any of your answers. I do need your name and phone number, though, in case my instructor wants to verify my having conducted this interview. 1. Did you ever lie to your parents? 2. If so, about what? 3. Did you ever get caught in a lie to your parents? 4. If so, about what? 5. How did they deal with it? 6. Did your parents ever lie to you? 7. About what? 8. What is the most important thing for parents to teach their children about honesty? 9. What is the best way for parents to teach their children about honesty? Instructions for Preparing Interview Report Your interview report must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced (NOT double-spaced) on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. The report must consist of the following sections: a.) Interviewee Background: Write a short paragraph identifying the person you interviewed and describing how you selected this person. Also provide a phone number for this person so that we can verify that the interview actually took place. b.) Questions and Answers: In this section you will report the interviewees answers to your questions. Report these answers in separate paragraphs that begin with the question posed in bold (e.g., Q: Did you ever lie to your parents?) followed by the answer provided in italics (but not bold). c.) Learning: This section should consist of 2-3 paragraphs describing what you learned from conducting the interview. The best way to prepare this section is to analyze your interviewees responses in light of the concepts we are discussing in class. The worst way to prepare this section is to use clichs or to draw vapid, superficial conclusions like this interview taught me how common lying is in communication. Please review the information on page 2 of the syllabus regarding grounds for point penalties (late papers, poor spelling or grammar, etc.). Please consult the class schedule on pages 3 and 4 for the assignment due date. We will not grade your report unless complete and accurate background and contact information is provided. If we determine that you have falsified any of the information in your report, you will receive a 0 for this assignment and we will file a formal charge of academic dishonesty against you to the Dean of Students.
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INTERVIEW #2 BEST/WORST
Instructions for Conducting Interview Interview a person age 25 or older. This person should not be a family relative nor someone you are romantically involved with (dating partner or spouse). At the beginning of the interview, read the interview introduction paragraph below to your interviewee. If after listening to the introduction the interviewee indicates that s/he would like to continue, then pose the following seven questions and record the answers. DO NOT simply give the interview sheet to someone and tell them to fill it out. This does not constitute an interview. In most cases, you will want to add questions and probes that are not on the interview sheet in order to learn more about the interviewees beliefs, but only answers to the questions listed need to be recorded. Sometimes, you will get an interviewee who does not provide you with much information. In some of those cases, you can use the persons reticence as the basis for your analysis of the interview. In other cases, you might want to get another interviewee. Introduction (to be read verbatim to interviewee): Im taking a class at UT that deals with the way people communicate honestly and dishonestly. For one of my assignments, I need to conduct an interview with someone about lying and truthtelling. All the information will be kept completely confidential and no names will ever be used in connection with this information. I do need your name and phone number, though, in case my instructor wants to verify my having conducted this interview. 1. What is the worst kind of lie? 2. What is the best kind of lie? 3. From the people you know personally, whom do you trust the most to tell you the truth? Why? 4. From the people you know personally, whom do you trust the least to tell you the truth? Why? 5. Are there things you dont want to know the truth about? 6. Are there things you would not tell other people the truth about? 7. What does it mean to you to tell the truth? Instructions for Preparing Interview Report Your interview report must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced (NOT double-spaced) on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. The report must consist of the following sections: a.) Interviewee Background: Write a short paragraph identifying the person you interviewed and describing how you selected this person. Also provide a phone number for this person so that we can verify that the interview actually took place. b.) Questions and Answers: In this section you will report the interviewees answers to your questions. Report these answers in separate paragraphs that begin with the question posed in bold (e.g., Q: What is the worst kind of lie?) followed by the answer provided in italics (but not bold). c.) Learning: This section should consist of 2-3 paragraphs describing what you learned from conducting the interview. The best way to prepare this section is to analyze your interviewees responses in light of the concepts we are discussing in class. The worst way to prepare this section is to use clichs or to draw vapid, superficial conclusions like this interview taught me how common lying is in communication. Please review the information on page 2 of the syllabus regarding grounds for point penalties (late papers, poor spelling or grammar, etc.). Please consult the class schedule on pages 3 and 4 for the assignment due date. We will not grade your report unless complete and accurate background and contact information is provided. If we determine that you have falsified any of the information in your report, you will receive a 0 for this assignment and we will file a formal charge of academic dishonesty against you to the Dean of Students.
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INTERVIEW #3 TRUTH AND FORMAL EDUCATION
Instructions for Conducting Interview Interview a faculty member or administrator in a college or university (professor, lecturer, dean, etc.); or a graduate student who has already received a graduate degree (Masters , Law, MBA, MFA, etc.); or a high school teacher. You may interview doctoral students in CMS, but not the professors. Try to interview people outside the College of Communication. Do not interview any faculty or graduate students who are relatives, spouses, or dating partners. At the beginning of the interview, read the interview introduction paragraph below to your interviewee. If after listening to the introduction the interviewee indicates that s/he would like to continue, then pose the following seven questions and record the answers. DO NOT simply give the interview sheet to someone and tell them to fill it out. This does not constitute an interview. In most cases, you will want to add questions and probes that are not on the interview sheet in order to learn more about the interviewees beliefs, but only answers to the questions listed need to be recorded. Sometimes, you will get an interviewee who does not provide you with much information. In some of those cases, you can use the persons reticence as the basis for your analysis of the interview. In other cases, you might want to get another interviewee. Introduction (to be read verbatim to the interviewee): Im taking a class at UT that deals with the way people communicate honestly and dishonestly. For one of my assignments, I need to conduct a short interview about truth and education. All the information will be kept completely confidential and no names will ever be used in connection with this information. I do need your name and phone number, though, in case my instructor wants to verify my having conducted this interview. 1. Do you know the saying, Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make (or set) you free? 2. What do you think it means? 3. How should students seek the truth? 4. How will students know when theyve found the truth? 5. How do scholars and educators in your field determine what is true? 6. Give me a statement about something studied in your field which you are certain is true. 7. Why are you certain this is true? Instructions for Preparing Interview Report Your interview report must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced (NOT double-spaced) on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. The report must consist of the following sections: a.) Interviewee Background: Write a short paragraph identifying the person you interviewed and describing how you selected this person. Also provide a phone number for this person so that we can verify that the interview actually took place. b.) Questions and Answers: In this section you will report the interviewees answers to your questions. Report these answers in separate paragraphs that begin with the question posed in bold (e.g., Q: Do you know the saying) followed by the answer provided in italics (but not bold). c.) Learning: This section should consist of 2-3 paragraphs describing what you learned from conducting the interview. The best way to prepare this section is to analyze your interviewees responses in light of the concepts we are discussing in class. The worst way to prepare this section is to use clichs or to draw vapid, superficial conclusions like this interview taught me how common lying is in communication. Please review the information on page 2 of the syllabus regarding grounds for point penalties (late papers, poor spelling or grammar, etc.). Please consult the class schedule on pages 3 and 4 for the assignment due date. We will not grade your report unless complete and accurate background and contact information is provided. If we determine that you have falsified any of the information in your report, you will receive a 0 for this assignment and we will file a formal charge of academic dishonesty against you to the Dean of Students.
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