LIE-DETECTION PROCESS—IT’S MAGIC: SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS

The MAGIC Lie Detection Model is an easy-to-remember process that may be applied to all situations. You may find it helpful to use this summary to refresh your memory. If you would like more detailed information, I suggest you read the entire section titled Lie-Detection Process—It’s MAGIC!

Motivation: Does the person have a motive to lie? Motivations include: to protect from embarrassment; to make a positive impression; to gain an advantage; and to avoid punishment. You’ll be more accurate if you remain objective, so don’t assume the person is lying—be aware that the person may have the motivation to lie, but is actually telling the truth.

Ask Control Questions, to establish a baseline: When you initially turn on your “Liedar,” observe the verbal and nonverbal responses to Control Questions—ones the person will answer truthfully. This will give you a behavioral baseline. Take your time doing this, as it will create a reliable platform to then detect changes in the person’s behavior if he or she is lying.

Guilt Questions: To identify a liar, you need to first provide the opportunity to lie. For this to occur, you must ask a Guilt Question or two—subtly. This is best done as part of a normal conversation, as it denies the opportunity for the person to hide deceit clues from you.

Indicators: Are there lying indicators that stand out to you from the baseline behavior you observed when asking the Control Questions? Did they occur in a clue cluster and in quick succession? When this occurs in response to a guilt question, your “Liedar” should lock on. Some deceit clues are listed at the end of this section.

Check Again: Re-examine. To do this, repeat stages MAGI (above) and validate your observations of the clue cluster. If you observe a similar clue cluster to a previous Guilt Question, it’s likely you’ve caught yourself a liar.

Some Deceit Clues: Finger, hand, leg, or foot movement, or absence of movement; speech pattern changes, increased mispronunciation, throat clearing, exaggerated swallowing, or stuttering; inconsistent eye movement (fabricating not recalling); less eye contact or vastly increased eye contact; itchy nose; closed body posture, leaning back or placing arms across the body to create a barrier; hands in front of mouth or eyes; extended blink followed by a hand to the face; contradictions between “what is said” and “what is gestured” (nodding “yes” but saying “no”); feigning tiredness (e.g., fake yawning); increased embellishment and overly detailed answers; and conflicting micro-expressions.